Suppression of Thermal Creep and Fatigue in Polymer Nanocomposites Reinforced with Three-Dimensional Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Networks 


Vol. 27,  No. 4, pp. 1973-1982, Apr.  2026
10.1007/s12221-025-01303-6


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  Abstract

Thermoplastic nanocomposites reinforced with nanoscale fillers are widely used in flexible electronics and soft robotics, owing to their mechanical resilience and conductivity, in which thermal stability is crucial to avoid degradation from repeated actuation or environmental heat. Despite the use of nanofillers, many systems fail to retain stability above the glass transition temperature or the softening point owing to inadequate interfacial control and poor filler connectivity. In this study, we demonstrate that embedding a densely percolated nanotube network within a thermoplastic polyurethane matrix enables exceptional mechanical resilience and rheological stability, even under cyclic tensile loading at temperatures exceeding the glass transition temperature (~ 45 °C), softening point (~ 60 °C), and melting point (~ 80 °C). After the fabrication of the nanotube–polymer composites, we performed thermomechanical tests, including creep, stress relaxation, and fatigue tests and dynamic mechanical analysis, on the composites, at ~ 45 ℃ and ~ 80 ℃. The 23-vol% nanotube–polymer composite exhibits a 98.6% reduction in creep strain and a 47-fold increase in stress relaxation time, compared to those of neat TPU, and a sustained modulus under 104 loading cycles, at 80 °C. These improvements are attributed to the restriction of mobility of the polymer chains by the interconnected nanotube network, which confines segmental motion and preserves solid-like behavior even at temperatures exceeding the glass transition temperature and softening points.

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  Cite this article

[IEEE Style]

S. Kim, H. Jang, B. Park, J. Lee, S. Lee, Y. Oh, "Suppression of Thermal Creep and Fatigue in Polymer Nanocomposites Reinforced with Three-Dimensional Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Networks," Fibers and Polymers, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 1973-1982, 2026. DOI: 10.1007/s12221-025-01303-6.

[ACM Style]

Seonghee Kim, Hyekyeong Jang, Byeongho Park, Jaemin Lee, Seoung-Ki Lee, and Youngseok Oh. 2026. Suppression of Thermal Creep and Fatigue in Polymer Nanocomposites Reinforced with Three-Dimensional Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Networks. Fibers and Polymers, 27, 4, (2026), 1973-1982. DOI: 10.1007/s12221-025-01303-6.

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