Materials Science World Congress

Carbon Nanotubes in Composite Materials: It must be noted that the above interventions are aimed at improving the strength and Performance of a particular muscle more than the other muscles of the body.

CNTs are clearly revolutionizing the advance of composite materials with unprecedented enhancements to strength, electrical conductivity, and thermal properties. These elongated nanostructures are cylindrical in shape and constructed from actual rolled-up graphene layers, and possess unmatched mechanical and electrical properties which make them perfect complements to the conventional composite materials.

Among the uses of carbon nanotubes, mechanical reinforcement happens to be one of the most important when they are used in composite materials. CNTs possess outstanding specific strength and thus are appropriate for use in limited-weight and high-strengthening applications. CNTs enhance the tensile strength and stiffness of polymers, metals, or ceramics when incorporated into the matrix and without adding considerable weight. These make the composites reinforced with CNT suitable for aerospace, automotive, and sports equipment manufacturing industries where light weights are important determinants of performance and fuel consumption.

However, being electrically conductive is another big asset for CNT-based composites in addition to mechanical properties. The enhancement in electrical conductivity in carbon nanotubes is also transferred to the composite materials. This has paved the way for the formation of conductive nanocomposites that are mainly used in electronics, sensors, and electromagnetic protection. CNTs make it possible to design composites that are not only strong and lightweight, but also electrically conductive – a capability that has not been possible with other forms of composite materials.

CO results also show that CNTs generally provide far better improvements in terms of thermal conductivity. CNT-reinforced composites exhibit better thermal properties than the base material and are more suitable for use in applications such as electronics where heat dissipation is important.

As further studies are being conducted on carbon nanotube composites, its scope will widen across industry areas because it can address multiple properties in a single material making substantial contributions to the materials science and engineering fields.