Effects of Weight Fractions of Reinforcement and Fabrication Process on the Strain Sensitivity of Carbon Nanotube/Epoxy Nanocomposite-Experimental Investigation

In recent years, the discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and their phenomenal properties(especially their superior electrical properties) has raised the hope of finding a realistic alternative toconventional smart materials. Great interest has been generated in fabricating highly sensitive strain sensors.However, the studies are still at the beginnings. This work reports the piezoresistive responses of thin polymerfilm of epoxy modified with different weight fractions of CNTs. CNT/epoxy nanocomposites were fabricated byin situ polymerization method. Timing of hardener addition was selected as the fabrication parameter. The filmswere then bonded to the macroscopic aluminium specimen and evaluated as the strain sensing elements during astatic loading. The experimental results indicated that fabrication process has a perceptible influence on strainsensitivity of the samples. Weight fractions of CNTs also play an important role in piezoresistive responses ofthe sensors. Thus, in general, lower loadings of CNTs result in better strain sensitivity.

کلیدواژه ها:

Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNT) ، Epoxy ، Piezoresistivity ، Sensitivity ، Strain sensor