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In this work, we report a buckypaper composite with properties suitable for high performance electrodes of redox supercapacitors. The synthesis employs a specific combination of the double- and triple-walled carbon nanotubes (FWCNT) with cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), with dimensions of 20–50 nm in width and lengths of up to several hundred microns. The generated composite (BP/CNT@CNF) preserves the structure of the FWCNTs and ensures greater wettability, without significant damage to electrical conductivity. When compared to a buckypaper produced without CNF, BP/CNT@CNF is completely moldable and flexible, with an increase of about 375% in tensile strength, and 400% in the maximum strain. As electrodes, BP/CNT@CNF is stable in different aqueous redox electrolytes at different pHs containing hydroquinone (HQ in 1.0 M H2SO4), potassium hexacyanoferrate(II) (K₄[Fe(CN)₆] in 3.0 M KOH) and KBr in neutral medium. In all media, excellent capacitance retentions are obtained, evaluated in 12,000 cycles. The best electrochemical performances are obtained with HQ/H2SO4 as a redox electrolyte. High specific capacitance values are found from 1 A g−1 (380.8 F g−1) to 15 A g−1 (216.1 F g−1), with energy and power densities corresponding to 28.2 W h kg−1 and 3974.7 W kg−1, respectively, calculated at electrode level.

A microwave-assisted functionalization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with isocyanate groups allowed a reduction of functionalization time from 24 h to 30 min with no change in the degree of functionalization or in the nanotube characteristics. Polymer nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical properties were obtained because of the tailored interface by the covalent linkage between the surface-modified multiwalled-carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and an elastomeric polyurethane (PUE) matrix. The mechanical data revealed that the composite containing 0.25 wt % of MWCNT-NCO showed an increase of 31% in tear strength and 28% in static toughness. A good adhesion between the matrix and individually dispersed nanotubes was observed in the scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images. Nanoindentation and nanoscratch experiments were conducted to investigate the properties on the sub-surface. An increase by a factor of 3 in the scratch hardness was observed for the composite with 0.50 wt % of MWCNT-NCO with respect to the neat PUE. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 44394.

Concrete bridge deck deterioration is a significant problem that must be addressed to preserve highway infrastructure investments in bridges around the world. Reducing the cost of bridge deck maintenance is critical to government and private agencies responsible for maintenance of bridges. Maintenance challenges increase as many bridges begin to approach the end of their design life and traffic loads continue to increase. One means of reducing the cost of bridge deck maintenance is to accurately evaluate the condition of the structure and its constituent materials. Current methods used to evaluate deterioration of bridge decks include acoustic, electrochemical, electromagnetic, and visual inspection techniques. The purpose of this study was to assess the advantages and limitations of three available evaluation methods. The evaluation techniques included in this study were ground penetrating radar, the chain drag method, and IE. These techniques represent an important group of inspection methods currently used to evaluate in-service bridge decks. The bridge deck used in the study contains significant delaminations but exhibits virtually no outwardly visible signs of these deficiencies, so a detailed visual inspection survey of the deck was not included. Cores were taken from the bridge deck at selected locations to confirm the accuracy of the results obtained through each evaluation method. This paper presents the findings from each method and describes their respective advantages and limitations.