Investigation of polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/multiwall carbon nanotube nanocomposites under impact loading

Abstract

In this study, the effect of polycarbonate (PC)/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)‐reinforced multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites under a high‐velocity impact was investigated. PC/ABS (70/30 w/w)/MWCNT nanocomposites containing 1, 2, and 4 wt% were used to manufacture samples for this study. The samples were fabricated in sheet form with 100 × 100 mm dimensions and tested by gas gun for high‐velocity impact tests. The experimental results indicate that the energy absorption, limit velocity, and tensile modulus of the nanocomposite samples increased by approximately 121%, 52%, and 103% for the PC/ABS (70/30 w/w)/2 wt% MWCNT samples respectively. These results were confirmed by a transmission electron microscopy analysis test that was conducted for the state of dispersion of MWCNTs in the nanocomposite samples. The transmission electron microscopy results show that the best morphological structure of carbon nanotube at the interface of PC and ABS is that for the nanocomposite containing 2 wt% MWCNTs, which led to improved interface of the nanocomposites and higher mechanical properties. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.