Exploring interfacial enhancement in polystyrene/multiwalled carbon nanotube monofilament induced by stretching

This study reveals that stretching orientation is a highly efficacious pathway to achieve interfacial enhancement in polystyrene (PS)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). The monofilaments of PS/MWCNT composite were fabricated via melt-spinning upon different draw ratios (25–200). More significant mechanical reinforcement was found for the composite monofilament obtained at high drawing ratio as compared to the ones prepared at lower draw ratios. Interestingly, the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) obtained at 200 drawing ratio was about 2.5 times than that obtained at lower draw ratios. Furthermore, distinct up-shift of D band and G′ band in the Raman spectrum was found for the situation of high drawing ratio. These two phenomena indicated a significant interfacial enhancement that possibly aroused from strong π–π interaction between PS chain and MWCNT, which was mainly responsible for the prominent mechanical reinforcement observed.