Abstract—The effect of variant concentrations of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the thermal transport, phase transition temperatures, and mechanical properties of polyisoprene rubber have been studied in the present novel research. MWCNTs were incorporated into the natural rubber (NR) using shear mixing techniques. Microscopy results reveal the uniform dispersion of the nanotubes within the polymer matrix. Thermal conductivity and thermal insulation of the fabricated composites were evaluated according to ASTM standards. Thermal transport through the nanocomposite specimens is restricted by the nanotubes network developed within the polymer matrix. Differential scanning calorimetric study elucidates the reduction of crystallization (Tc) and glass transition (Tg) temperatures, while melting temperature (Tm) enhances with increasing the nanotubes concentration in the rubber matrix. A remarkable enhancement in mechanical properties of MWCNT/NR composites was observed with increasing nanotube to matrix ratio.
Index Terms—Multiwalled carbon nanotubes, thermal transport properties, nanocomposite, thermal stability, phase transition temperatures.
Sadia Sagar and Nadeem Iqbal are with Thermal Transport Lab (TTL), Dept. of Materials Engineering, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), H-12, Islamabad, Pakistan (e-mail: sadiasagar@scme.nust.edu.pk).
Asghari Maqsood is with Department of Physics, Center for Emerging Sciences, Engineering, and Technology (CESET), Islamabad, Pakistan.
M. Bassyouni is with Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia and Department of Chemical Engineering, Higher Technological Institute, Tenth of Ramadan city, Egypt.
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Cite:Sadia Sagar and Nadeem Iqbal are with Thermal Transport Lab (TTL), Dept. of Materials Engineering, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), H-12, Islamabad, Pakistan (e-mail: sadiasagar@scme.nust.edu.pk). Asghari Maqsood is with Department of Physics, Center for Emerging Sciences, Engineering, and Technology (CESET), Islamabad, Pakistan. M. Bassyouni is with Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia and Department of Chemical Engineering, Higher Technological Institute, Tenth of Ramadan city, Egypt., "MWCNTS Incorporated Natural Rubber Composites: Thermal Insulation, Phase Transition and Mechanical Properties," International Journal of Engineering and Technology vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 168-173, 2014.
