Carbon nanotubes have unique properties in and of themselves, and can modify the properties of polymer mixtures as well.

Carbon nanotubes are one of the more intriguing forms of nanotechnology.  They’re relatively easy to make, and they have unique electronic, optical, and mechanical properties.  Even better, when you add carbon nanotubes to another host material you can dramatically change some of the host material’s properties without altering others. When you’re trying to make that kind of altered polymer, you are faced with an issue: how to disperse the nanotubes evenly in the host material.  NASA researchers investigated some methods for achieving that dispersal.  One step in the process is to sonicate a suspension in an ultrasonic cleaner.

For further information visit ntrs.nasa.gov.

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