title: Towards tough, yet stiff, composites by filling an elastomer with single-walled nanotubes at very high loading levels.
abstract: We have used recent advances in nanotube dispersion technology to prepare composites based on polyurethane, with mass fractions of up to 80% polyethylene glycol functionalized nanotubes. Mechanical testing shows increases in Young's modulus compared to polyurethane films by up to 800 ×. While the composite strength did not vary significantly with nanotube content, the ductility and so the toughness fell by a factor of 240 × on addition of ∼40 wt% nanotubes. Depending on the nanotube content we can produce films ranging from the stiff and brittle at high nanotube loading to the compliant and ductile at low nanotube volume fraction.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: Fiona M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Blighe
authors.forename: Werner J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Blau
authors.forename: Jonathan N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Coleman