Effect of Different Chemical Modification Systems on Thermal and Electrical Conductivity of Functionalized Multiwall Carbon Nanotube/Epoxy Nanocomposites

The use of polymeric materials in some applications is inhibited due to their low thermal conductivity. In this study epoxy nanocomposites of three differently modified carbon nanotubes were prepared and their thermal, electrical and mechanical properties were investigated. Acidic oxidation, amine grafting and Friedel-Crafts reactions were employed to prepare modified carbon nanotubes. It was found that nanocomposites obtained by Friedel-Crafts acylation reaction have superior thermal and electrical conductivity. Therefore, the addition of a very low amount of benzene tricarboxylic acid (BTC) nanotubes can result in a considerable improvement in the thermal and electrical conductivity of the resulting nanocomposite.