Carbon nanotubes are considered to be ideal candidates for improving the mechanical properties of polymer nanocomposite scaffolds due to their higher surface area, mechanical properties of three-dimensional isotropic structure, and physical properties. In this study, we showed the improved mechanical properties prepared by backfilling of preformed hydrogels and aerogels of individually dispersed multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-Baytubes) and thermoplastic polyurethane. Here, we used the solution-based fabrication method to prepare the composite scaffold and observed an improvement in tensile modulus about 200-fold over that of pristine polymer at 19 wt% MWCNT loading. Further, we tested the thermal properties of composite scaffolds and observed that the nanotube networks suppress the mobility of polymer chains, the composite scaffold samples were thermally stable well above their decomposition temperatures that extend the mechanical integrity of a polymer well above its polymer melting point. The improved mechanical properties of the composite scaffold might be useful in smart material industry.

中文翻译：

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多壁碳纳米管/热塑性聚氨酯纳米复合材料的机械性能增强

碳纳米管由于具有较高的表面积、三维各向同性结构的力学性能和物理性能，被认为是改善聚合物纳米复合支架力学性能的理想候选材料。在这项研究中，我们展示了通过对单独分散的多壁碳纳米管 (MWCNTs-Baytubes) 和热塑性聚氨酯的预制水凝胶和气凝胶进行回填而制备的改进的机械性能。在这里，我们使用基于溶液的制造方法来制备复合支架，并观察到在 19 wt% MWCNT 负载下，拉伸模量比原始聚合物的拉伸模量提高了约 200 倍。此外，我们测试了复合支架的热性能，并观察到纳米管网络抑制了聚合物链的移动性，复合支架样品的热稳定性远高于其分解温度，从而使聚合物的机械完整性远高于其聚合物熔点。复合支架改善的机械性能可能在智能材料工业中有用。