Fabrication and Nanocompression Testing of Aligned Carbon‐Nanotube–Polymer Nanocomposites

The reinforcement of fiber–polymer composites with arrays of aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is reported. Nanocomposite features containing vertically aligned CNTs and a commercially available polymer are fabricated and mechanically characterized with a direct nanocompression method using a flat punch mounted on a nanoindenter (see figure). The results show a reinforcement of 220 % at a CNT volume fraction of 2 %.