Extremely Low Weight Structural Thermoplastic Composites Reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes

"This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will investigate feasibility of achieving revolutionary composite material mechanical properties. This will involve a new approach to reinforcing thermoplastic polymers with single-wall carbonnanotubes (SWNT). Incredible strength (up to ~200 GPa = 29 Msi) and stiffness (on the order of 1.0 TPa = 145 Msi) have been attributed to SWNT. Attempts to translate these properties into a composite material have yielded poor results. Causes of failurehave included rapid on-set of thickening when mixing into a liquid-phase polymer, nanotube entanglement and kinking, roping or clumping together, and inadequate functionality for linkage to a polymer matrix. The proposed project will overcome theselimitations with new methods of combining and processing SWNT material with a thermoplastic polymer after functionality has been added to the SWNT material. These new methods will enable higher loading of SWNT into a thermoplastic. More importantly, theapproach will correct problems of low functionality, extreme "fiber waviness" and lack of alignment that have prevented translation of SWNT mechanical properties into a composite. The expected result is a new class of extremely low weight structuralcomposite materials exhibiting revolutionary specific properties for satellites, aircraft, ballistic missiles, and other launch systems. Achieving specific strength and stiffness two or more times t