Influence of nanotube dispersion and spinning conditions on nanofibre nanocomposites of polypropylene and multi-walled carbon nanotubes produced through Forcespinning ^TM

Abstract

Melt centrifugal spinning has been used to successfully produce nanofibres from compounds of polypropylene (PP) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) at a concentration of 1%. The compounds were prepared either via twin screw compounding or by dissolution in decalin with sonication. Nanofibre production was conducted by centrifugal spinning in a Forcespinner™, a technology capable of producing nanofibres with a high material throughput. Processing via dissolution resulted in a reduction in the size of the MWNT agglomerations in the polymer, which led to a more uniform fibre morphology and a reduced incidence of bead defects as compared to products produced from the melt extrusion compound. The addition of a nonionic surfactant (Triton X-100) to the compound solution aided dispersion of the MWNTs as determined by optical light microscopy of thin cast films and produced fibres with the lowest mean diameter. The mean fibre diameter in the as-spun webs prepared by dissolution of PP in decalin with sonication was found to decrease with increasing spinneret speed; however, a similar trend was not observed for fibres generated from the melt compounded material.