High performance PA6/CNTs nanohybrid fibers prepared in the melt

Commercial and home-made carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were plasma treated under oxygen atmosphere and then added to polyamide 6 (PA6) in order to prepare fibres by melt spinning. For comparison, pristine nanofillers were used too. The effect of functionalization and of filler characteristics on the morphological, rheological, mechanical and electrical properties of the fibres was studied by TEM and SEM, rheological measurements, tensile and electrical conductivity tests. The results demonstrated that the functionalization led to a better mechanical performance and the morphological analysis confirmed that the adhesion, the dispersion and the alignment of the nanotubes within the polymer matrix were improved when using functionalized CNTs. Electrical tests marked that functionalization slightly reduced the conductivity of the materials. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.