Improvements in mechanical properties of multi-walled carbon nanotube-reinforced epoxy composites through novel magnetic-assisted method for alignment of carbon nanotubes

A novel magnetic-assisted method has been proposed for alignment of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in a bulk epoxy matrix. In principle, MWCNTs was aligned by a drag force created inside the matrix. This drag force was imposed by the movement of magnetic particles under applied magnetic field in the direction of field lines. This method can be performed by low strength magnetic fields and magnetic particles can be removed from the final composite. The alignment of MWCNTs in the epoxy matrix has been studied by scanning electron microscopy observations. Considerable improvements have been observed in mechanical properties of aligned MWCNT-reinforced composites compared to non-aligned ones.