ABSTRACT
I. Introduction ................................................................. 604 II. Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers............................ 605
A. Production ......................................................... 608 B. Properties .......................................................... 610
III. Polymer Nanocomposites Containing Carbon Nanotubes/Nanofibers................................................. 612
IV. Conclusions .................................................................. 620
Acknowledgments................................................................. 622 References............................................................................. 622
I. INTRODUCTION
One topic of major interest in the field of scientific research today is the combination of polymer matrices and fillers with dimensions on the nanometer scale to so-called “polymer nanocomposites.” Though the expression “nanocomposite” appeared just in the past two decades, these nanocomposites have already existed in the form of rubber carbon black composites for about one century. Additionally, nature formed many examples of materials with nanodimensional structures such as bones, implying a certain superiority concealed in this design.
