Carbon nanotubes functionalizing polymer coated CNTs

Cobalt complexes among other metals such as iron and nickel are known to catalyze the growth of carbon nanotube (CNT) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) [79-81]. Thanks to the thermal stability of the hyperbranched polyyne backbone, spin-coated films of the organometalhc polymer were successfully probed to function as catalyst and arrays of CNT bundles could be prepared (Figure 2.4). This preliminary result already suggests potential application in the field of paUemable tailor-made catalysts. 

Polymer composite coatings with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are normally difficult to produce, because CNTs do not mix well with polymers in the melt. Even from solution, dispersion of CNTs within a polymer matrix is not straightforward. The theoretical reason behind this difficulty was analyzed (Caneba and Axland, 2004), and it was due to the need for strong polar and/or hydrogen-bonding functionalities in the polymer. This made the use of block copolymers with acid segments suitable for such an application. 

Basic studies on diazonium-CNT chemistry led to two very efficient techniques for SWCNT derivatization solvent-free functionalization [176] and functionalization of individual (unbundled) nanotubes [175], With the solvent-free functionalization (Scheme 1.26), heavily functionalized and soluble material is obtained and the nanotubes disperse in polymer more efficiently than pristine SWCNTs [176], With the second method, aryldiazonium salts react efficiently with the individual (unbundled) HiPCO produced and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-coated SWCNTs in water. The resulting functionalized tubes (one addend in nine tube carbons) remained unbundled throughout their entire lengths and were incapable of reroping. [175],... 

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