Thermal mechanical and dielectric properties investigation of directional shape memory MCNTs/EP composites

The anisotropy of two-dimensional materials seriously hinders the improvement of the thermal mechanical and dielectric property of modified composites. Herein, the directional shape memory multi-walled carbon nanotubes/epoxy resin (MWCNTs/EP) composites were prepared by chemical thermal curing, and the directional alignment of magnetic CNTs (MCNTs) was conducted by employing a magnetic field of 0.33 T. The effect of directional aligned MCNTs on shape memory epoxy resins (SME) was investigated. The dispersion and orientation effects on heat transfer and shape memory performance of the directional shape memory MCNTs/EP composites were expounded. The results showed that when the mass fraction of MCNTs was 1.5 wt%, the dispersion was 77.5% and the orientation rate was 80%, which the thermal mechanical properties were the significantly improved. The temperature rise of the MCNTs/EP composites was 38.7% higher, the shape recovery rate was 1.01% higher and the shape recovery rate is increased to 360% of the raw material. Meanwhile, the dielectric property of the directional aligned MCNTs/EP composites was enhanced, which proving that directional aligned CNTs can be used to promote shape memory and electromagnetic performances.

Automated summary

The preparation and performance of directional shape memory magnetic carbon nanotubes/epoxy resin composites were studied. The results showed that when the mass fraction of magnetic carbon nanotubes was 1.5 wt%, the dispersion was 77.5% and the orientation rate was 80%, leading to significantly improved thermal mechanical properties. The temperature rise of the composites increased by 38.7%, the shape recovery rate increased by 1.01%, and the shape recovery rate reached 360% of the raw material.