Carbon nanotube with polymers

Noncovalent interactions of carbon nanotubes with polymers or organic molecules also provide a viable method for a dispersion of SWNTs, as reported by Stoddart, ... 

Yang YK, Qiu SQ, Wang XB et al (2010) Functionalization and structure control of carbon nanotubes with polymers polymer-grafted carbon nanotubes. Prog Chem 22 684-695... 

Adronov A, Yao Z, Liu Y. Functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes with polymers New approaches to highly soluble nanotubes. In Abstracts of Papers, 227th ACS National Meeting 2004 Anaheim, CA. 

Wang, J.W. Khlobystov, A.N. Wang, W.X. Howdle, S.M. Poliakoff, M. (2006). Coating carbon nanotubes with polymer in supercritical carbon dioxide. Chemical Communications, 15,1670-1672... 

Fig. 1.14 (A) Single-wall carbon nanotubes wrapped by glyco-conjugate polymer with bioactive sugars. (B) Modification of carboxyl-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes with biocompatible, water-soluble phosphorylcholine and sugar-based polymers. (A) adapted from [195] with permission from Elsevier, and (B) from [35] reproduced by permission of Wiley-VCH.

Fig. 3.10 Model representation of polymer wrapping around carbon nanotubes. Reprinted from J. M. O Connell etai, Reversible water-solubilization of single-walled carbon nanotubes by polymer wrapping, Chemical Physics Letters, 342, 265-271, Copyright (2001), with permission from Elsevier.

Nonconjugated hydrocarbon polymers could also be combined with carbon nanotubes, with polystyrene being the most studied example. The composites are generally prepared by solution or shear mixing techniques, resulting in materials with improved mechanical properties [60]. 

For applications where only mechanical properties are relevant, it is often sufficient to use resins for the filling and we end up with carbon-reinforced polymer structures. Such materials [23] can be soft, like the family of poly-butadiene materials leading to rubber or tires. The transport properties of the carbon fibers lead to some limited improvement of the transport properties of the polymer. If carbon nanotubes with their extensive propensity of percolation are used [24], then a compromise between mechanical reinforcement and improvement of electrical and thermal stability is possible provided one solves the severe challenge of homogeneous mixing of binder and filler phases. For the macroscopic carbon fibers this is less of a problem, in particular when advanced techniques of vacuum infiltration of the fluid resin precursor and suitable chemical functionalization of the carbon fiber are applied. 

Barrera et al. (3) sidewall functionalized carbon nanotubes with organosilanes for polymer composites, (III), with glass fibers for use in advanced cylindrical nanotube (CNT)-polymer composites. 

G. Beyer, Flame retardancy of nanocomposites based on organoclays and carbon nanotubes with aluminium trihydrate, Polym. Adv. Technol., 2005,17 218-225. 

The main drawbacks of this approach are the low availability of such instruments in laboratories, and the fact that many samples are sensitive to ion beam damage, require specific preparation (95), and can induce low contrast. Moreover, the imaging between two milling periods is typically performed in the backscattered electrons mode, which is not always favorable this is the case for carbon nanotubes in a polymer matrix as the atomic number contrast is low. This is probably the reason why, even if the FIB/SEM approach is used on polymer nanocomposites, it not used in the literature for carbon nanotubes in polymer matrix. In this last application, the tomo-STEM technique is a good alternative to obtain images of relatively thick samples with high contrast and resolution (91). 

Yang YK, Xie XL, Wu JG et al (2006) Synthesis and self-assembly of polystyrene-grafted multiwalled carbon nanotubes with a hairy-rod nanostructure. J Polym Sd Polym Chem 44 3869-3881... 

Yang YK, Tsui CP, Tang CY et al (2010) Functionalization of carbon nanotubes with biodegradable supramolecular polypseudorotaxanes from grafted-poly(E-caprolactone) and a-cyclodextrins. Eur Polym J 46 145-155... 

FIGURE 2.21 Aligned carbon nanotubes with a bioactive conducting polymer (a) Pure CNT array before treatment, (b) aligned CEP-CNT coaxial nanowires inset shows clear image of single tube coated with PPy, (c) PPy only deposited on the top of CNT surface because of high density of tubes, and (d) polymer formed on both outside of walls and the top of the surface of the CNT array. (With permission from Electroanalysis, 15, 1089 (2003). 2003, Wiley-VCH.)... 

Another approach consists in the activation of carbon nanotubes with lithium organic compounds Uke butyl lithium and subsequent reaction with styrene in the sense of an anionic polymerization (Figure 3.91). In the course of the reaction, it is even possible to break up the bundles of tubes, thus obtaining separated, polymer coated nanotubes. 

Besides combinations with polymers as mentioned above, there are also some composites of carbon nanotubes with other, and especially with inorganic materials. These are, in most cases, metals or ceramic compounds like aluminum oxide. 

The synthesis of carbon nanotubes with metal hybrids has been studied using STEM and ED. The carbon nanotubes could be functionalized (or not) with a polymer. Gao et al. [60] have reported particle sizes of 2-20 nm and a metal deposition of 82 wt%. 

Covalently Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes with Conducting Polymers... 

S. Lefrant, M. Baibarac, I. Baltog, J.Y. MeveUec, C. Godon, and O. Chauvet, Functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes with conducting polymers evidenced by Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. Diamond and Rel. Mater., 14, 867-872 (2005). 

Figure 19.7 Picture of the nanocomposite (grease) made from the nanofiller (carbon nanotubes) and polymer (DURASYIsl 166 oil). (Reproduced with kind permission from NLGI. Copyright (2010) NLGI)...

Song, W., Zheng, Z., Tang, W., Wang, X. A facile approach to covalently functionalized carbon nanotubes with biocompatible polymer. Polymer 48, 3658-3663 (2007)... 

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