Carbon nanotubes added to polymer enhance molten flow.(MATERIALS SCIENCE/R & D)

Advanced Materials & Processes, November, 2004

The addition of carbon nanotubes to the common commercial polymer polypropylene, leads to dramatic changes in how the molten polymer flows, according to researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Md.. This process eliminates a widespread manufacturing problem known as "die-swell," in which polymers swell when passing through the exit port of an extruder.

Researchers have been adding small amounts of nanotubes to polypropylene in hopes of dramatically enhancing the material's strength and other properties. Once achieved, this enhanced polymer could be processed at high speed through extruders. NIST materials scientists were concerned that because nanotubes make the poly-propylene rubbery, then the material would be...

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