STIR: Ionomeric Carbon Nanotube Composites for Adaptive Skins and Structural Control
Abstract
A class of polymer-metal composites was developed for applications in shape-changing vehicles and vibration suppression. The polymer-metal composites considered in this work exhibited real-time control of the elastic modulus through variation of the hydration state of the material. These materials, called ionomers, were combined with precious metals and carbon nanotubes using a previously-developed fabrication technique. The elastic properties of the composite materials were tested, and it was determined that modulus variations on the order of 3X to 10X were achievable with different solvents. The loss properties of the material could not be measured as a function of hydration level, precluding the use of carbon nanotubes as a metal particulate in the composite. An experiment in switched-state vibration control illustrated the use of these materials as a variable-modulus isolation mount for suppressing resonant vibration. The time constants of the modulus change were determined to be approximately 10 seconds for the softening and on the order of minutes for the stiffening. The rate of stiffening could be controlled by application of an external electric field to de-solvate the material more rapidly. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using ionomeric-metal composites in applications which require large strains (>10%) and do not require rapid changes in the elastic properties.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA433555
Entities
People
- Donald J. Leo
Organizations
- Virginia Tech