Bending Properties of Carbon Nanotube/Polymer Composites with Various Aspect Ratios and Filler Contents

The key characteristics of bending sensors are piezoresistive effect, hysteresis, and durability. In this study, to investigate the influence of the aspect ratio and contents of multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs) on the properties of bending sensors, MWNT/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composites were fabricated with various aspect ratios and filler contents. The MWNTs were uniformly dispersed in the composites using the three-roll milling method. By increasing the bending angle gradually, the sensitivity of each composite was analyzed. Furthermore, discontinuous cyclic bending tests were conducted to investigate the piezoresistive effect and hysteresis. In addition, stable repeatability of the composites was confirmed through continuous cyclic bending tests. As a result, optimal aspect ratios and filler contents have been presented for application in bending sensors of MWNT composites.