M3 Lab’s Journal Article Featured on the Cover Page of JAPS

app45157-toc-0001 Coverpage Image

A recent journal article published by Prof. Leung’s group has been featured on the cover page of the Journal of Applied Polymer Science in January 2017 (Volume 134, Issue 28). This SEM micrograph on the journal’s cover page depicts the localization and partial alignment of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) along the cell walls within a HDPE/MWCNT nanocomposite foam. During physical foaming, the growth of nucleated bubbles tightly pushed the MWCNT against the cell walls. Moreover, the foaming-induced biaxial stress field generated around the expanding cells, leading to local flow and stretching of polymer melt along the cell walls. While the voids helped to significantly suppress the nanocomposite’s thermal conductivity, the enhanced three-dimensional MWCNT network promoted its electrical conductivity. Overall, the fabricated nanocomposite foam’s thermoelectric performance was 600 times higher than the solid nanocomposite.