Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced polymers are of high interest for various industries due to their unique mechanical and electrical properties. Most research has been done at room temperature (RT), but little is known about properties at cryogenic temperature. This paper presents results on CNT-polycarbonate (PC) composites with respect to mechanical properties at 77 K in comparison with RT. CNT-PC composites with 0wt% (neat), 0.1wt%, and 1.0wt% CNTs have been studied. Results imply that the CNT effects are more obvious at low temperature and are seen in the form of serrations in the stress-strain plot. No significant difference has been noticed between the neat and reinforced samples at either temperature. However, it was determined that the strength increases drastically while the elongation decreases at low temperature as compared to RT. SEM images confirm that the samples at low temperature exhibit brittle failure. Additionally, it can be seen that at low temperature the nanotubes align with the direction of tensile force while the nanotubes at RT align with the sample surface.