Carbon Nanotube- Ionic Liquid Nanofluid Interaction Study for the Application As Additive System in Elastomers

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), because of their excellent properties, have been used as additives to improve mechanical, thermal, electrical and tribological properties of the matrix. However, CNTs have a strong tendency to aggregate because of their nanosize and high surface energy. CNTs are chemically modified to achieve good dispersion in the matrix, which can damage its structural properties. Therefore, their physical modification using surfactants is preferred. Ionic liquids, which are room temperature salts, form well dispersed matrix with CNTs because of cation-п or Vander Waals interactions between the two. This study investigates the solid-liquid interaction between MWCNTs and phosphonium ionic liquid. IL prevents CNT agglomeration when incorporated between nanotubes. IL-CNT composite is characterized using DSC, FTIR and TEM, to analyze the IL-CNT interface behavior. The rheological properties of the MWCNT-IL mixture are also studied at different compositions as it can provide more detailed information about microstructure of nanofluids. Further application of nanofluid includes well dispersed CNTs in PDMS elastomer to improve mechanical properties.