Recent Advances in Characterization Techniques for the Interface in Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Polymer Nanocomposites

Figure 3

Schematic diagram of an individual carbon nanotube pull-out experiment and scanning electron microscope images of one representative individual carbon nanotube pull-out test: (a) a tip fixed to the cantilever of an atomic force microscope approaches the free end of an individual carbon nanotube embedded within a polymer matrix in a controlled way, (b) such a free end has been attached to the tip of the cantilever by means of electron beam-induced deposition of platinum, (c) the carbon nanotube has been pulled out from the polymer matrix completely, and (d)–(f) three scanning electron microscope images of the individual carbon nanotube pull-out test, corresponding to the schematic diagrams illustrated in (a)–(c), respectively. The lower right image in (f) is a zoom-in view of the carbon nanotube after being pulled out. Each of the scale bars represents 500 nm (adapted with permission from reference [99]; copyright 2015, Elsevier Ltd).

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)