Carbon Nanotube (CNT) rheology

Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) were the centre of scientific attention in the mid 2000s and I was attracted to them as they seemed to have “polymer” like aspects. A PhD student, Anson Ma joined me from the the University of Science and Technology Hong Kong and his background was CNTs. This started a very active period in the Group on CNT microstructure, rheology and modelling. Prof Paco Chinesta had spent a sabbatical in the Polymer Fluids Group at Cambridge and this was the genesis of a strong collaboration period between Anson, Paco and myself. Several papers emerged and they are listed below. With Ansons departure to Rice University, Kat Yearsley continued CNT and Carbon Black work.

As time progressed the health implication issues raised their head and also the difficulty in obtaining a good CNT dispersion. The presentation below, given at Ecole Centrale Nantes reviews the “Good, the Bad and the Ugly side of CNTs”. Some of the slides were kindly provided by Prof Alan Windle from the Materials Science Department at Cambridge and some from Prof Matteo Pasquali from Rice University.

CNT-Nantes- 2011 (v2) (.pdf)

A list of our CNT related publications is given below.

• A. Ma and M.R.Mackley. Experimental observation on the flow-induced assembly of Carbon nanotube suspensions to form helical bands. Rheo Acta. Vol 46, Nos 7 979-987 (2007)
• F. Chinesta and M. R. Mackley Microstructure evolution during liquid–liquid laminar mixing: a kinetic theory approach Int J Materials Forming 1, 47–55 (2008)
• A. W. K. Ma , M. R. Mackley & F. Chinesta The microstructure and rheology of carbon nanotube suspensions Int J Mater Form 1, 75–81 (2008)
• E. Cueto, A. W. K. Ma, F. Chinesta, and M. R. Mackley. Numerical simulation of spin coating processes involving functionalised Carbon nanotube suspensions Int Journal of Materials Forming 1, Nos2 89-99 (2008)
• A W. K. Ma, F. Chinesta, T. Tuladhar and M. R. Mackley. Filament stretching of carbon nanotube suspensions. Rheologica Acta 47, Nos 4 447-457 (2008)
• A W. K. Ma, F. Chinesta, and M. R. Mackley Rheological modeling of carbon nanotube aggregate suspensions J. Rheology. Volume 52, Issue 6, 1311-1330 (2008)
• A W. K. Ma, F. Chinesta, and M. R. Mackley. The rheology and modeling of chemically treated carbon nanotubes suspensions J. Rheology. Volume 53, Issue 3, 547-573 (2009)
• F. Chinesta, A. A.W.K. Ma, M.R. Mackley, E. Cueto, G.Regnier and S.Chatel Modeling nanocomposites: from rheology to forming processes simulation International Journal of forming Material, 2, 1. 141-144 (2009)
• K. M. Yearsley, M. R. Mackley, F. Chinesta, A. Leygue The rheology of multi-walled carbon nanotube and carbon black suspensions J. Rheology. 56, 1465- 1490 (2012)