Characterization of epoxy/single-walled carbon nanotubes composite samples via atomic force acoustic microscopy

Atomic force acoustic microscopy technique has been used to characterize structural and mechanical properties of a nanocomposite sample, obtained by incorporating single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) into epoxy resin. The aim of the reported preliminary characterization is to investigate the reliability of such a technique as a tool for the qualitative evaluation of the homogeneity of the dispersion of SWCNTs into the epoxy matrix, as well as for the quantitative mapping of local elastic properties of sample surface. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.