Basic Investigation of Epoxy Resin Coatings with Dispersed Carbon Nanotubes

SUMMARY Multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT)/epoxy nanocomposites were fabricated and used to coat epoxy insulating substrates in order to uniformize the surface conductivity. The effects of polymer functionalization of CNT on the dispersion of CNT in an epoxy matrix and on the electrical surface conductivity were investigated. It was found that grafting polymer molecules onto the CNT surface improved the dispersion of CNT in an epoxy matrix compared to those containing CNT without functionalization. The surface conductivity of nanocomposites decreases, thanks to uniform dispersion of CNT.