Effect of Fillers on Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes in a Twin-Screw Extruder

In this study, it was attempted to disperse carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a polymer matrix using a twin-screw extruder which was good for dispersing fillers of micron sizes but not suitable for dispersing nanometer-sized materials. Improved dispersion of CNTs could be achieved by the addition of inorganic fillers with different geometrical shapes. An increase in the matrix viscosity provided a high shear stress on aggregated CNTs, leading to a good dispersion of CNTs. The presence of the inorganic fillers was supposed to suppress the re-aggregation of CNTs in the regions where a lower shear stress was applied. As a result, the CNTs dispersion was well stabilized.