Multifunctional nanocomposites based on a polyamide 6/polyamide 12 blend and multi-walled carbon nanotubes

T. ARNAL; P. EISENGERG; A. ARES; M.J.ABAD; C. BERNAL

Polymer Engineering and Science

John Wiley and Sons Inc

Lugar: New Jersey; Año: 2024 vol. 64 p. 1246 - 1257

Nanocomposites based on an immiscible blend of polyamide 6 (PA6) andpolyamide 12 (PA12) 50/50 wt.% with different contents of multi-walled carbonnanotubes (MWCNTs) were prepared by extrusion followed by compressionmolding. These materials have been proved to be electrically conductive in pre-vious investigations for the range of filler content assayed. The morphology ofthe nanocomposites was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, both oncryo-fractured and postmortem uniaxial tensile samples. Rheological measure-ments were performed along with differential scanning calorimetry, to assessthe materials microstructure and thermal transitions. Furthermore, uniaxialtensile tests were carried out to determine mechanical properties such asstiffness, strength, and strain at break and to investigate the effect of MWCNTson these properties. Finally, fracture tests were also conducted to evaluate howincorporating MWCNTs affected nanocomposites toughening capabilities. Theobtained results suggest a notable improvement in the mechanical properties inthe nanocomposites with low amounts of nanofiller. This expands their potentialapplications as conductive polymer composites (CPCs) and positions them aspromising multifunctional materials.