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

Figure 4

(a and b) Schematic diagram of the pull-out process applied to an individual carbon nanotube suspended within a free-standing polymer thin film using an atomic force microscope. Schematic diagram of the fabrication process of a suspended holey film as being formed from a polymer blend: (c) a hydrophobic polymer thin film coated on the surface of a hydrophilic glass slide using a dip-coating method, (d) release of such a film from the glass slide by water, (e and f) transfer of the film to a grid made of copper, and (g) hole-opening using cyclohexane as a solvent and then using a heat treatment method (adapted with permission from reference [101]; copyright 2017, Elsevier Ltd).