EFFECT OF FUNCTIONALIZATION ON THE STRENGTH OF MULTI-WALL CARBON NANOTUBES-POLYPROPYLENE (MWCNTs-PP) COMPOSITE

Carbon nanotube (CNT) has managed to capture the attention of many scientists world-wide. It is mainly because of the potential that it has to revolutionize many fields in the material science and nanotechnology areas [1]. With its small size and significant physical properties, it has become a very unique material. It also has a wide range of promising applications in various technological fields such as automobile, energy, medical, aerospace, chemical and etc. However, in recent years, scientists are having problems of utilizing the CNT’s reinforcement potential into composites materials. Some example of the problem is the dispersion of CNT and also the load transfer from the matrix to CNT. In this project, there will be more focus given on the effectiveness of chemical functionalization using acid mixture and how it helps to improve the tensile strength of the MWCNTs-PP composite. The composite is produced using compression molding machine and the tensile test is conducted using the Universal Tensile Testing Machine. The result of the experiments shows that chemical functionalization helps to disperse the arrangement of the MWCNTs and also to remove the impurities present in the tubes to maximize the physical properties of the tubes. The MWCNTS in the polypropylene matrix also had proven to improve its tensile strength as composite reinforcement.