Electromechanical properties of polycarbonate-impregnated graphene nanosheet-carbon nanotube hybrid composite sheets

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental study on fabrication and characterization of polycarbonate-impregnated nano graphene plates (NGP)-multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) hybrid composite sheets. The NGP-MWCNT hybrid sheets were fabricated through surfactant-aided carbon nanomaterial dispersion followed by vacuum-induced filtration. The hybrid sheets were produced at various NGP:MWCNT ratios. The inherently porous sheets were impregnated with polycarbonate by infiltrating a polycarbonate-chloroform solution through the sheets. The mechanical and electrical properties of the hybrid sheet preforms as well as the polymer-impregnated sheets were characterized. The morphologies of hybrid sheets and composites were analyzed through SEM to assess the interaction between NGP and MWCNT network and the effect of porous nanostructure on polymer infiltration.