Self-assembled buckypapers have been successfully prepared using sodium carboxyl methyl cellulose (CMC) as a binder. The lowest resistivity that was reached was 0.43 ± 0.03 Ω·m, when the buckypapers were prepared by the same mass of CMC and carboxy-modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs). A heat-resistant electroconductive nanocomposite with epoxy resin as the matrix and CMC/buckypapers as the reinforcement was fabricated by a resin impregnation molding technique. The effects of CMC/buckypaper layers on the conductivity, thermal stability, and mechanical and dynamic mechanical performance of the epoxy resin polymer nanocomposites were investigated. It was found that CMC/buckypapers hold great promise for improving the properties of nanocomposites, and the buckypapers’ performance can be enhanced by using modified CNTs to prepare them. The obtained nanocomposites showed an approximate 71.23% bending strength improvement (125.04 ± 5.62 MPa) and a 30.71% bending modulus improvement (5.83 ± 0.68 GPa), with an increased number of CMC/buckypaper layers. An enhanced degradation temperature and residual mass were also achieved for the nanocomposites when compared with a pure polymer. The nanocomposites with four CMC/buckypaper layers possessed the highest storage modulus (1934 MPa), which was approximately 60% higher than that of a neat polymer (1185 MPa). Therefore, CMC/buckypapers could be effectively used to manufacture heat-resistant electroconductive polymer nanocomposites with improved properties.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the collective effects of bending load and hygrothermal aging on glass fibre-reinforced plastics (GFRP) due to the fact that stress and water absorption is inevitable during GFRP applications. Design/methodology/approach: The water boiling method was used to study the moisture absorption, desorption behaviour and evaluate the performance of GFRP laminates under loading in this article. The moisture diffusion of laminates is characterized in three aging conditions (25°C, 45°C and 65°C water), along with three levels of bending load coefficients (0, 0.3 and 0.6). The moisture diffusion coefficients are determined through the curve fitting method of the experimental data of the initial process, based on the Fickian diffusion model. Moreover, the laminates’ performance is further discussed after adequate environmental aging and loading. Findings: It was found that moisture absorption is promoted by the presence of bending load and boiling during this study. The absorption diffusion coefficient and moisture equilibrium content of the specimens increased with an increasing loading ratio and temperature. The bending strength of the laminate varied according to a contrary trend. Furthermore, the desorbed moisture content is found to be much higher after higher levels of bending load because it is harder to desorb the moisture in the interfaces and micro cracks. Research limitations/implications: Collective effects of bending load and hygrothermal aging promote the absorption and result in accelerating property degradation of GFRP. It is significant to focus on these effects on the failure of GFRP. Originality/value: A novel unit was designed to simulate the various loading acted on containers in this work.