Nanopaper enabled shape-memory nanocomposite with vertically aligned nickel nanostrand: controlled synthesis and electrical actuation

The present work studies the synergistic effect of self-assembly multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanopaper and sub-micro nickel nanostrand on the electrical properties and electro-active recovery behavior of shape memory polymer (SMP) nanocomposite. The combination of MWCNT nanopaper and nickel nanostrand is used to improve the electrical and thermal conductivities of the SMP nanocomposite. The electrical MWCNT nanopaper was coated on the surface to achieve the shape recovery of the SMP nanocomposite induced by electricity. Electromagnetic nickel nanostrands were blended with and, vertically aligned into the SMP resin in a magnetic field, to improve the thermal conductivity. The vertically aligned nickel nanostrands will facilitate the heat transfer from the nanopaper to the underlying SMP composite to accelerate the electrical actuation. Furthermore, they have little negative effect on recovery behavior, resulting in the nanocomposite having an approximately 100% recovery ratio undergoing cyclic deformation.