Researchers have now shown that the use of buckypaper – macroscopic aggregates of intertwined CNTs in which the nanotubes collectively behave as a random web – is more efficient as a fire retardant in polymer composites in comparison to directly mixing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into the composite matrix.
"Given the importance of the fire retardancy of high-performance/high-temperature polymers, the main objective of our study is to improve the fire retardancy of polyimide matrix composites using CNTs" says Ben Wang, Simon Ostrach Professor of Engineering at Florida State University and director of the High-Performance Materials Institute.
Wang and his team examined the idea of using mixed single-walled and multiwalled CNT buckypaper to improve the fire retardancy of polyimide/carbon fibre composites.
Reporting their findings in the upcoming issue of Nanotechnology ("Carbon nanotube buckypaper to improve fire retardancy of high-temperature/high-performance polymer composites"), first authored by Xiang Fu, they found that the mixed SWCNT/MWCNT buckypaper incorporated on a composite surface yielded longer times to ignition, lower heat release rate, less total heat release, less smoke and less mass loss compared to the neat polyimide/carbon fibre composites. (Nanowerk LLC)