Materials Processes of Graphite Nanostructured Composites Using Ball Milling

ABSTRACT Polymer nanocomposites are an emerging class of multifunctional materials that have not been optimized for their functional potential. As a part of a series of studies conducted by Wong and collaborators [1-6], a novel processing design for polymer nanocomposites using ball milling and nanoscale graphite platelets (NGPs) was recently investigated. Processes for carbon nanotube (CNT), despite its promise in maneuvering varied functionality, are prohibitively expensive at present for widespread composite applications. Instead of trying to discover lower-cost processes for CNT, we investigated the possibility of using ball milling to produce nanoscale reinforcements. The studied nanocomposites are distinct from existing sp3 carbon black, CNT, and nanoclay reinforcements. Materials processes to produce nanostructured polymer composites using the ball milling method are reported. It was found that ball milling primarily reduced particle sizes to smaller platelets. No other critical advantages were not...