Properties of carbon nanotube–polymer composites aligned in a magnetic field

The goal of this study was to probe the effect of orientation and alignment of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) embedded in an epoxy polymer matrix under a magnetic field on the mechanical properties of the resulting nanocomposite. We showed that the changes in the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites, i.e. the glass transition temperature, Young’s modulus and elastic and viscous moduli, as a function of the magnetic field strengths used to align the carbon nanotubes, are dependent on the epoxy system used. Moreover, we showed that when CNT alignment actually occurs at high magnetic fields, the properties of the resulting composites are superior to those that were not exposed to a magnetic field.