Sol-gel route to carbon nanotube borosilicate glass composites

Thomas BJC, Shaffer MSP, Boccaccini AR (2009)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2009

Journal

Composites Part A-Applied Science and Manufacturing Elsevier

Publisher: Elsevier

Pages Range: 837-845

Journal Issue: 40

DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2009.04.006

Abstract

Dense borosilicate glass matrix composites containing up to 3 wt% of multiwalled carbon nanotubes were produced by a sol-gel process. The three different silicate precursors employed (tetramethylsilane (TMOS), methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) and methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS)) yielded transparent xerogels which were subsequently crushed and densified by hot pressing at 800 °C. The dispersion of the carbon nanotubes was aided by using an organic-inorganic binder (3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane) which limited flocculation of the CNTs in the silica sol. After densification, the borosilicate glass composites containing up to 2 wt% CNTs showed significant improvements in hardness and compression strength, as well as thermal conductivity, whilst percolation effects lead to a dramatic increase in electrical conductivity above 1 wt%. This simple approach to disperse CNTs into a technical silicate glass matrix via the sol-gel process focusses specifically on the borosilicate system, but the procedure can be applied to produce other inorganic matrix composites containing CNTs. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Authors with CRIS profile

Aldo Boccaccini Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Biomaterialien)

Involved external institutions

Imperial College London / The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine GB United Kingdom (GB)

How to cite

APA:

Thomas, B.J.C., Shaffer, M.S.P., & Boccaccini, A.R. (2009). Sol-gel route to carbon nanotube borosilicate glass composites. Composites Part A-Applied Science and Manufacturing, 40, 837-845. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2009.04.006

MLA:

Thomas, Boris J. C., Milo S. P. Shaffer, and Aldo R. Boccaccini. "Sol-gel route to carbon nanotube borosilicate glass composites." Composites Part A-Applied Science and Manufacturing 40 (2009): 837-845.

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