Carbon nanotubes as exceptional nanofillers in polymer and polymer/fiber nanocomposites: An extensive review

Huge available scientific literature revealed that due to exceptional thermal, mechanical, electrical and optical characteristics, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) hold an eminent status in the panoply of composites and nanomaterials arena and explore extensive applications in numerous industries. The continuously growing interest in incorporating CNTs into various matrices has spurred sustained efforts to fabricate CNT-based nanocomposites. Furthermore, the development in the fabrication of novel CNT-reinforced polymers (engineering and natural) and polymer/fiber nanocomposites with exceptional characteristics, stands out as one of the most significant achievements for the materials, nanoscience, biomedical and aviation industries. This review article aims to highlight the most noteworthy and novel research work carried out in the recent era exploring the ultimate characteristics of Polymer/Fibre/CNT composites and hybrid composites. Moreover, advancements in experimental, numerical and analytical investigations of the thermo-mechanical, thermal, mechanical, vibrational and impact response characteristics of CNT-reinforced composites (CNTRCs) are thoroughly discussed. Also, the mechanical properties of the CNT-reinforced nanocomposites reported in the earlier literature are summarized in tabular form. This review demonstrates that the current research effort by the researchers is mainly devoted to fabricating lightweight novel CNTRC structures with exceptional characteristics.

Automated summary

This article reviews the recent research progress in polymer/fiber/CNT composites and hybrid composites, with a focus on the thermo-mechanical, thermal, mechanical, vibrational, and impact response characteristics of CNT-reinforced composites. The mechanical properties of CNT-reinforced nanocomposites reported in earlier literature are also summarized.