Composites Based on Conducting Polymers and Carbon Nanotubes

In the nanotechnology field, carbon-based materials and associated composites have received special attention both for fundamental and applicative research. In the first kind, carbon compounds may be included, often taking the form of a hollow spheres, ellipsoids, or mbes. Spherical and ellipsoidal carbon nanomaterials are referred to as fullerenes, while cylindrical ones are called nanombes and nanofibers. In the second class, one includes composite materials that combine carbon nanoparticles with other nanoparticles, or nanoparticles with large bulk-type materials. The unique properties of these various types of nanomaterials provide novel electrical, catalytic, magnetic, mechanical, thermal, and other features that are desirable for applications in commercial, medical, military, and enviromnental sectors. This is the case for conducting polymers (CPs) and carbon nanombes (CNTs) [1-5]. 

Besides the expected improvements in the mechanical and electronic properties of polymers, the preparation of carbon nanombe/polymer composites has been and is stiU explored for effective incorporation of CNTs into devices. Nevertheless, the use of CNTs as a rough material in different applications has been largely limited by their poor processability, insolubility, and infusibility. To bypass this disadvantage, an efficient 

Nanostructured Conductive Polymers 2010 John Wiley Sons, Ltd 

In the section devoted to CNTs, some details concerning synthesis and purification methods, as well as separation techniques for metalfic and semiconducting nanotubes will be reviewed. Some aspects concerning the interactions of CNTs with reactants used in the synthesis of different composites based on conducting polymers, such as PANI, PPy, PEDOT, PBTh, PNVK, PPV, and polyfluorene (PF) will be discussed in the section devoted to the synthesis of the CP/CNT composites. Preparing a composite with the desired properties requires knowledge of the interaction between the host matrix and the guest carbon nanoparticles. 

Another goal of this chapter is to review the main contributions of IR absorption and Raman light scattering with regard to the interactions between the two constituents, as well as to determine the molecular structure of the above-mentioned composites. In fact, we wish to illustrate the usefulness of Raman scattering and IR spectroscopy as valuable tools to characterize different types of composite materials. There exists a large range of results 

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Composites Based on Conducting Polymers and Carbon Nanotubes... 

Composites Based on Conducting Polymers and Carbon Nanotubes 215 5.2.1.2 Laser-Ablation Method... 

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