Nanomechanical and nanoscratch performance of polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes nanocomposite coating

This article describes how the nanoindentation procedure has been performed in order to present the effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the nanoscratch resistance of polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS/PMMA) coatings. The polymer nanocomposite coatings have been prepared using solution spin coating technique. Nanoindentation results reveal that the elastic modulus and hardness of the nanocomposites increase by 7.5% and 32%, respectively. Introduction of MWCNTs resulted in an increase of scratch hardness of the nanocomposites along with a decrease of the coefficient of friction. Moreover, the residual scratch exhibited greater reduction in the samples. Based on the obtained results it can be concluded that MWCNTs can improve the resistance capability of the PS/PMMA blends coatings to the nanoscratch phenomenon. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:E962-E968, 2018. (c) 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers