The effect of the ultrasound treatment on the structure of carbon nanotubes in polymer nanocomposites

Resumo

In this work, mechanisms of aggregation of carbon nanotubes in polymer nanocomposites are studied. This class of nanofillers exhibits two types of aggregations: formation of bunches or ringlike nanotube structures. The ultrasound is found to affect only the second type of aggregation, which is manifested in a strong (almost by an order of magnitude) increase in the radius of the carbon ringlike nanotube structures. This effect occurs only below the nanofiller percolation threshold.