Dispersion of carbon nanotubes in nanostructured epoxy systems for coating application

This study about the dispersion of carbon nanotubes into an epoxy matrix can be considered as a first approach to investigate a potential industrial coating. In order to well disperse carboxylic acid-modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (a-MWCNT) in a commercial epoxy-based resin, its nanostructuring with an amphiphilic epoxidized styrene-b-butadiene-b-styrene triblock copolymer that also acts as surfactant was carried out. In order to determine if coating performance is suitable for industrial applications, morphologies generated for copolymer-modified coating and the dispersion of a-MWCNT was characterized by atomic force microscopy. Contact angle measurements, Taber abrasion testing and thermogravimetric analysis were also performed. A tailor-made coating was developed with improved a-MWCNT dispersion and hydrophobicity due to the effect of block copolymer. System modified with 5 wt% of block copolymer and filled with 1 wt% a-MWCNT present the lowest value in weight loss in the wear test, while systems filled with 0.2 wt% of a-MWCNT showed increased thermal stability. Coating properties analyzed depend largely on the amount of components and a-MWCNT dispersion level, thus adding new application possibilities to the coatings, while most of the conventional epoxy-coating advantages are retained.