REU/RET Projects

Shamoon Siddiqui
University: New Jersey Institute of Technology
Mentor in UCF: Dr. V. Desai – AMPAC, and Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering

Tensile Analysis of Carbon Nanotube Polymer Composites

Polymer advancements have furthered industry very rapidly since the first chemical manipulation of polymers in the nineteenth century. Research in the area of polymers has led to the development of new materials. The focus of this research was to harness the superior physical properties of Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) and use them to enhance polymers. After mixing various concentrations of CNT’s with a polyureasilazane, commercially known as CERASET, tensile tests were performed and the data was analyzed. The results are that the CNT’s enhance the breaking points considerably; the increase is up to three times in a 15% concentration of CNT in the polyureasilazane. The Young’s Modulus increased more than 10 times in a 1.0% concentration. These enhanced mechanical properties show promise for using carbon nanotube polymer composites in a variety of applications.