Mechanical Behavior of LDPE/MWCNT Composites After Fatigue and Cryogenic Treatment

In this study, the effects of fatigue and cryogenic treatments on the mechanical behavior of low-density polyethylene/ multi-walled carbon nanotube (LDPE/MWCNT) composites have been investigated. Injection-molded samples of LDPE/MWCNT composite with different MWCNT weight fractions (0.1–5.0 wt.%) were subjected to cryogenic and fatigue treatments under different testing conditions, and the residual-mechanical properties were investigated. To monitor the fatigue damage, additionally, the electrical conductivity was measured. The results show that the LDPE/MWCNT composites retained good residual-mechanical properties after fatigue (more than 85% of its initial Young modulus) and cryogenic (more than 75% of its initial tensile strength and Young’s modulus) treatment. For the LDPE/MWCNT composites, the electrically conductive nanotube network can be efficiently maintained up to 25 000 fatigue cycles.