title: Polymer-Infiltrated Aligned Carbon Nanotube Fibers by in situ Polymerization.
abstract: Carbon nanotube-polymer composite fibers are obtained by infiltration of a monomer liquid into aligned carbon nanotube aerogel fibers with subsequent in situ polymerization. The monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA), was infiltrated into the aerogel fibers of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) at room temperature and subsequently polymerized at 50 °C into poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Cross-sections of the PMMA/MWNT composite fibers showed that the PMMA filled the spaces of the nanotube fibers and bound the nanotubes together. PMMA in the composite fibers exhibited local order. The resultant composite fibers with 15 wt.-% nanotube loading exhibited a 16-fold and a 49-fold increase in tensile strength and Young's modulus, respectively, compared to the control PMMA.
authors.affiliation: School of Polymer, Textile and Fiber Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0295, USA.
authors.forename: Shanju
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lingbo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Ching-Ping
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Satish
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar