Elaboration and study of the electro-thermo-mechanical properties of an aligned carbon nanotubes - polypropylene composite by twin-screw mixer

This study presents first the fabrication of a composite material based on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes, and on a thermoplastic polymer matrix. First, a twin-screw mixer had been employed for preparing polypropylene nanocomposites loaded at 1, 3, and 5wt% of MWCNT. Second, a characterization of rheological behavior for polypropylene as well as polypropylene/multi-walled carbon nanotube mixtures, at three temperatures (180, 200, and 220 °C,) has been carried out using capillary rheometer. And then, its electrical transport properties have been also studied. The work demonstrates how the addition of functionalized CNT to a polypropylene will allow it to act as electrical and thermal conductor rather than as insulator