Complex Fluids Commons^™

Microstructure And Rheology Of Carbon Nanotubes At Air-Water Interfaces, Charles D. Young

Honors Scholar Theses

This work characterizes the material properties of carbon nanotubes at air-water interfaces for potential use in creating stable emulsions. Properties such as length, aspect ratio, contact angle, microstructural ordering, surface pressure, compression and shear elastic moduli, stresses, surface viscosities and non-linearity are explored. Challenges such as deviation from a classical analysis of monolayers are encountered in the form of aggregation, mechanical contributions, and interface relaxation. These factors are taken into account to explain experimental measurements and trends. Ultimately, existing models for more homogeneous systems are resolved with observations to offer insight and areas of promise moving forward.