Cure Behavior of the Liquid-Crystalline Epoxy/Carbon Nanotube System and the Effect of Surface Treatment of Carbon Fillers on Cure Reaction

Abstract

The FT-IR spectra of carbon nanotubes (CN) and oxidated carbon nanotubes were obtained using diffuse reflection Fourier-transform infrared (DRIFT) spectroscopy. The cure behavior of the liquid-crystalline epoxy (LCE)/CN and the LCE/carbon black (CB) systems were investigated. The effect of surface treatment of the carbon nanotube on the cure behavior in the LCE/CN system was investigated with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and was compared with those of the CB. The heat of cure in the LCE/CN system was higher than that in the LCE/CB system. The activation energy was dependent on the concentration of the curing agent. The activation energies for the cure reaction were decreased as a result of surface treatment of carbon materials. It was possible to promote the curing reaction by the surface treatment of the carbon nanotube without decreasing the heat of cure. The isothermal kinetic parameters were obtained from the Kamal equation.