Spectroscopic imaging of polymer nanocomposites containing carbon fillers
Conference Paper
Overview
Overview
abstract
Advanced carbon nanotubes/fibers/polymer nanocomposites are chemically and structurally heterogeneous systems containing components of different length scale - nano to micro sized. A thorough nanocomposite characterization usually requires use of multiple experimental techniques. We demonstrate that a single technique using a Raman and fluorescence microscope delivers a wealth of information for the chemical structures of different length scales in the polymer nanocomposites. Specifically the technique has capability to monitor the modification of the chemical structures on going from the nanocomposite initial components to the final product as well as the components response to external mechanical or thermal loads. Particular attention is paid on the possibility of using the carbon nanotubes as internal strain gauges that monitor load transfer between different components of the nanocomposite. We also present a spectroscopic imaging study of carbon nanotube nanocomposites aimed to characterize the filler dispersion.