Study on microwave welding of polypropylene by carbon nanotube

Abstract

In this article, an efficient welding method by microwave energy is reported. Carbon nanotube (CNT) can significantly absorb microwave and release a lot of heat in a short time. The huge heat can easily lead to a sharp increase in temperature and melt the interface of polypropylene (PP) substrates, which is key to form a new interface between the substrates. After microwave welding, PP/CNT/PP samples exhibit high bonding strength, which is influenced by the duration of welding, the content of CNT and the pressure applied. The maximum stress is about 2.42 MPa, which demonstrates great potential in plastic bonding and material processing.