Poly(aniline-2-sulfonic acid) modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes with good aqueous dispersibility

Poly(aniline-2-sulfonic acid) (PASA)-modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were prepared by in situ oxidative polymerization. HRTEM images show that the PASA-modified MWNTs (PASANTs) are core (MWNT)-shell (PASA) tubular structures with a shell thickness of several nanometers. The strong interaction between the surface of the MWNTs and the conjugated structure of the PASA shell layer was proven by FTIR spectra. It was found that the aqueous dispersibility and dispersion stability of PASANTs were significantly improved compared to those of the raw MWNTs. Furthermore, when the PASA content is greater than 30 wt%, no precipitation is found for the dispersions of modified MWNTs after sedimentation for 500 h, exhibiting an excellent stability. The electrical conductivity of these modified MWNTs is 2-5 times higher than that of raw MWNTs and is 10(3) times higher than that of PASA.     

聚噻吩/多壁碳纳米管复合材料的导电性能

通过共混多壁碳纳米管(MWNTs)和聚噻吩(PTh), 制备了PTh/MWNTs复合材料, 复合材料表现出良好的导电性能(电导率达16.1 S/m). 通过Raman, TG, XPS, UV-Vis等对复合材料进行了分析, 结果表明, MWNTs和 PTh之间存在强的相互作用, MWNTs上的离域电子与噻吩共轭主链上的π电子之间形成π-π共轭, 电子从MWNTs转移到聚噻吩, 增加了噻吩主链的有效共轭长度, 提高了复合材料的导电性能. FESEM分析表明, MWNTs和它周围被掺杂的聚噻吩通过π-π共轭作用结合在一起, 形成相对独立的导电单元, 在复合材料的导电体系中起到主要作用.     

Interface localization of carbon nanotubes in blends of two copolymers

The localization of unpurified and unfunctionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) in an immiscible polymer blend has been studied. The sea-island morphology of ternary blends of a copolyamide 6/12 (PA6/12), a copolymer of ethylene and methyl acrylate (EMA) and MWNTs was studied by SEM and TEM. Depending on the mixing sequence, the MWNTs are localized either in the PA phase or at the interface. The localization of the MWNTs is determined both by the thermodynamics of the minimization of the interfacial energies and by a partial (irreversible) adsorption of the macromolecules of the first copolymer in contact with the MWNTs during the mixing step. The adsorption phenomenon is proved by TGA, EELS, modification of the MWNTs and decantation tests. It is attributed to non-covalent and non-specific interactions occurring between the CH groups of the polymers and the MWNTs.     

Nanostructured films from phthalocyanine and carbon nanotubes: surface morphology and electrical characterization

We report on the investigation of the surface morphology and DC conductivity of nanostructured layer-by-layer (LbL) films from nickel tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine (NiTsPc) alternated with either multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs/NiTsPc) or multi-walled carbon nanotubes dispersed in chitosan (MWNTs+Ch/NiTsPc). We have explored the surface morphology of the films by using fractal concepts and dynamic scale laws. The MWNTs/NiTsPc LbL films were found to have a fractal dimension of ca. 2, indicating a quasi Euclidean surface. MWNTs+Ch/NiTsPc LbL films are described by the Lai-Das Sarma-Villain (LDV) model, which predicts the deposition of particles and their subsequent relaxation. An increase in the wetting contact angle of MWNTs+Ch/NiTsPc LbL films was observed, as compared with MWNTs/NiTsPc LbL films, which presented an increase in the fractal dimension of the first system. Room temperature conductivities were found be ca. 0.45 S/cm for MWNTs/NiTsPc and 1.35 S/cm for MWNTs+Ch/NiTsPc.     

Highly visible-light luminescence properties of the carboxyl-functionalized short and ultrashort MWNTs

Luminescence of the short multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) conjugated with carboxylic acid groups has been studied. The results show that the carboxyl-functionalized short MWNTs could emit luminescence and the emission peak appears at 500 nm with a corresponding optimal excitation wavelength centering at 310 nm. When the short MWNTs are filtered through 0.15 μm polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane, the ultrashort MWNTs are obtained from the filtrate. An interesting feature for the ultrashort MWNTs is that the emission intensity is strengthened and the peak is slightly blue shifted to 460 nm. This result indicates that the luminescence properties of MWNTs are strongly affected by the tube length. After chemical oxidization cutting, defects and carboxylic acid groups at the tube end and/or sidewall can be produced; the more shorten of MWNTs, the better dispersion and carboxylic passivation of the nanotubes, and the more intense luminescence emissions. The broad emissions are logically attributed to the trapping of excitation energy by defect sites in the carboxyl-functionalized nanotube structure.     

碳纳米管尺寸对电化学反应活性的影响

制备不同尺寸的多壁碳纳米管(MWNT)修饰电极,应用循环伏安法研究了相同管径、不同管长和相同管长、不同管径的多壁碳纳米管修饰电极在K3Fe(CN)6溶液中的电化学行为及其对尿酸、多巴胺等生物分子的电催化作用,以及尺寸效应对碳纳米管修饰电极电化学活性的影响规律.结果显示,在同一条件下,短管的MWNT比长管的更能有效促进K3Fe(CN)6的电子传递,更有利于对生物分子的电催化;管径对它的电化学行为及生物电催化活性影响较小,无明显规律.主要原因在于碳纳米管管端、管壁的不同电化学活性.     

Preparation of carbon nanotubes supported platinum nanoparticles by an organic colloidal process for nonenzymatic glucose sensing

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) supported platinum nanoparticles with narrow size distribution were prepared by an organic colloidal process with sodium citrate as the coordination reagent and stabilizer, and ethylene glycol as the reduction reagent. A nonenzymatic glucose sensor with high sensitivity based on the Pt/MWNTs electrode was demonstrated. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to investigate the size distributions and the crystal structure of Pt nanoparticles on the MWNTs. The TEM images show that the Pt nanoparticles with about 2–4 nm in diameter are well dispersed on the MWNTs. The Pt/MWNTs shows high electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of glucose in 0.1 M NaOH solution. At +0.5 V, the Pt/MWNTs nanocomposite electrode exhibits linearity in the range of 1 mM to 23 mM (R > 0.998) glucose with a response time of 11.6 s. The detection limit is 50 μM (S/N = 3). It was demonstrated that the Pt/MWNTs electrode with high electrocatalytic activity to glucose oxidation could find application in nonenzymatic detection of glucose.     

有机硅聚醚共聚物功能化处理制备多壁碳纳米管悬浊液

以有机硅聚醚共聚物(PSPEO)为分散剂, 水为溶剂, 超声波作用下对硝酸纯化的多壁碳纳米管、浓硫酸与浓硝酸组成的混酸剪切的多壁碳纳米管功能化处理, 分别得到1～2.5 mg/mL和3～5 mg/mL的多壁碳纳米管悬浊液. 所得悬浊液有较好的稳定性, 这得益于有机硅聚醚共聚物独特的结构与性能. 用TEM, HRTEM, UV-vis, Raman光谱等技术对多壁碳纳米管悬浊液进行表征, 结果表明5～10 nm的PSPEO覆盖在碳纳米管表面并与碳纳米管强相互作用, 实现了碳纳米管的分散.     

Hydrophobic adsorption of surfactants on water-soluble carbon nanotubes: A simple approach to improve sensitivity and antifouling capacity of carbon nanotubes-based electrochemical sensors

Water-soluble multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were prepared by the strong adsorption of Congo red (CR) on MWNTs. The CR-functionalized MWNTs (MWNTs–CR) had a high solubility, a high purity and a special property of strong rebundling when dried, capable of forming uniform and compact MWNTs films with a 3D network structure of nanosizes on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Compared with GCE, the electrochemical response of estradiol at a MWNTs–CR modified glassy carbon electrode (MWNTs–CR/GCE) was greatly enhanced, which was further amplified by the addition of trace cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in solution, along with the accomplishment of antifouling capacity of the modified electrode. The weak hydrophobic adsorption of surfactants on the hydrophobic and smooth surface of MWNTs was found to be the key for simultaneously improving the sensitivity and antifouling capacity of carbon nanotube-based electrochemical sensors by surfactants.     

Influence of surface oxidation on the aggregation and deposition kinetics of multiwalled carbon nanotubes in monovalent and divalent electrolytes

The aggregation and deposition kinetics of two multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) with different degrees of surface oxidation are investigated using time-resolved dynamic light scattering (DLS) and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D), respectively. Carboxyl groups are determined to be the predominant oxygen-containing surface functional groups for both MWNTs through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The aggregation and deposition behavior of both MWNTs is in qualitative agreement with the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory. The critical coagulation concentration (CCC) of the highly oxidized MWNTs (HO-MWNTs) is significantly higher than the lowly oxidized MWNTs (LO-MWNTs) in the presence of NaCl (210 and 53 mM, respectively) since HO-MWNTs have a higher surface charge density. In contrast, the aggregation inverse stability profiles of HO-MWNTs and LO-MWNTs are identical and yield comparable CCCs (0.9 and 1.0 mM, respectively) in the presence of CaCl(2). Similar to the results obtained from the aggregation study, HO-MWNTs are considerably more stable to deposition on silica surfaces compared to LO-MWNTs in the presence of NaCl. However, both MWNTs have the same propensity to undergo deposition in the presence of CaCl(2). The remarkable similarity in the aggregation and deposition kinetics of HO-MWNTs and LO-MWNTs in CaCl(2) may be due to Ca(2+) cations having a higher affinity to form complexes with adjacent carboxyl groups on HO-MWNTs than with isolated carboxyl groups on LO-MWNTs.     

原位缩聚法制备碳纳米管/尼龙11复合材料

用原位缩聚法制备了碳纳米管增强的尼龙11复合材料,用X射线衍射仪、红外(FTIR)、扫描电镜(SEM)、热重(TGA)、机械拉伸测试仪等对其结构、形貌、热性能及机械性能进行了表征测试.扫描电镜结果显示碳纳米管均一地分散在尼龙11/碳纳米管复合材料中.复合材料的拉伸模量比纯尼龙11有较大的提高.当复合材料中碳纳米管含量分别为1%,5%,10%时,材料的拉伸模量分别提高了34.5%,92.9%和113,7%.同时,复合材料的储能模量也有提高.热分析结果显示当复合材料中碳纳米管含量为1%时,其失重5%和10%的温度分别由纯尼龙11的404℃、424℃提高到414℃和437℃.示差扫描量热分析(DSC)显示复合材料的结晶温度随碳纳米管的加入而升高,而结晶度则降低.     

Crystallization behavior and thermal property of biodegradable poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate)/multi‐walled carbon nanotubes nanocomposite

Biodegradable poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/functionalized multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (f‐MWNTs) nanocomposite was prepared in this work by solution casting method at 2 wt% f‐MWNTs loading. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations indicate a homogeneous distribution of f‐MWNTs in the PHB matrix. Nonisothermal melt crystallization, overall isothermal melt crystallization kinetics, and crystalline morphology of neat PHB and the PHB/f‐MWNTs nanocomposite were studied in detail. It is found that the presence of f‐MWNTs enhances the crystallization of PHB during nonisothermal and isothermal melt crystallization processes in the nanocomposite due to the heterogeneous nucleation effect of f‐MWNTs. Moreover, the incorporation of a small quantity of f‐MWNTs apparently improves the thermal stability of the PHB/f‐MWNTs nanocomposite with respect to neat PHB. Two methods are employed to study the activation energies of thermal degradation for both the neat PHB and the PHB/f‐MWNTs nanocomposite. The activation energy of thermal degradation of the PHB/f‐MWNTs nanocomposite is higher than that of neat PHB. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Study on the friction and wear behavior of surface‐modified carbon nanotube filled carbon fabric composites

The functionalization of multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) was achieved by grafting furfuryl amine (FA) onto the surfaces of MWNTs. Furthermore, the functional MWNTs were incorporated into carbon fabric composites and the tribological properties of the resulting composites were investigated systematically on a model ring‐on‐block test rig. Friction and wear tests revealed that the modified MWNTs filled carbon fabric composite has the highest wear resistance under all different sliding conditions. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that MWNTs were successfully functionalized and the modification led to an improvement in the dispersion of MWNTs, which played an important role on the enhanced tribological properties of carbon fabric composites. It can also be found that the friction and wear behavior of MWNTs filled carbon fabric composites are closely related with the sliding conditions such as sliding speed, load, and lubrication conditions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Norbornene/n‐Butyl methacrylate copolymerization over α‐Diimine nickel and palladium catalysts supported on multiwalled carbon nanotubes

The covalently immobilized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) supported three‐dimensional geometry α‐diimine nickel, palladium catalysts are prepared by corresponding α‐diimine nickel, palladium complexes and activated MWNTs. The molecular structures of the catalysts have been confirmed by X‐ray single‐crystal analyses, NMR and XPS, as well as elemental analysis. Compared with nickel, palladium catalysts without modification and physical mixing of nickel, palladium catalysts with MWNTs, the MWNTs supported nickel, palladium catalysts show improved activity and productivity in norbornene homopolymerization and copolymerization with polar monomer. The morphology of the resulting polymers obtained from MWNTs‐supported nickel(II) complex reveals that the MWNTs are dispersed uniformly in polymer and wrapped by polymers to squeeze out of spherical particles, leading to the enhanced processability and mechanical properties. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 3213–3220     

Functionalization of carbon nanotubes using phenosafranin

Spectroscopic analysis and atomic force microscopy (AFM) phase imaging studies show self-assembly of phenosafranin (PSF) to multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). The shift in absorption spectra is associated with charge transfer of valence electrons from PSF to electron accepting sites on the MWNTs. The Raman-active disorder modes are used to fingerprint PSF attachment to MWNTs via defect states. AFM phase imaging was used to obtain a molecular topographic visual confirmation of PSF attached to the MWNT.     

Self-assembly behavior of carbon nanotubes modified by amphiphilic block copolymer

Block copolymers of poly(tert-butyl methyacrylate) (PtBMA) and polystyrene (PSt) were grafted onto multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by the reaction of azide groups at the copolymer chain end with the surface of MWNTs. After hydrolysis, PtBMA block was transformed to polymethyacrylic acid (PMAA) block, and amphiphilic diblock copolymer-modified MWNTs were finally obtained. The modified MWNTs were characterized by XPS, TGA, FTIR, and Raman, and the results showed that the amphiphilic diblock copolymers were grafted onto MWNTs by the covalent bond. The TEM and SEM observation showed that PMAA-b-PSt copolymer modified MWNTs (S2) formed self-assembly tube bundles with the size up to 20 μm in both ethanol and chloroform. However, PtBMA-b-PSt copolymer modified MWNTs (S1) only formed small-size aggregates or dispersed as single-modified MWNTs. The dispersion stability tests showed that S1 had good dispersion stability in several solvents (water, ethanol, acetone, and chloroform) even after 20 days. Due to the big-size tube bundles formed by self-assemble S2, the dispersion stability of S2 in above all solvents decreased, but it was still much better than that of pristine MWNTs.     

Development of magnetic multiwalled carbon nanotubes combined with near-infrared radiation-assisted desorption for the determination of tissue distribution of doxorubicin liposome injects in rats

For the first time, magnetic multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) combined with near-infrared radiation-assisted desorption (NIRAD) was successfully developed for the determination of tissue distribution of doxorubicin liposome injects (DOXLI) in rats. The magnetic MWNTs nanomaterials were synthesized via a simple hydrothermal process. Magnetic Fe(3)O(4) beads, with average diameters of ca. 200 nm and narrow size distribution, were decorated along MWNTs to form octopus-like nanostructures. The hybrid nanocomposites provided an efficient way for the extraction and enrichment of doxorubicin (DOX) via π-π stacking of DOX molecules onto the polyaromatic surface of MWNTs. DOX adsorbed with magnetic MWNTs could be simply and rapidly isolated through a magnetic field. In addition, due to the near-infrared radiation (NIR) absorption property of MWNTs, irradiation with NIR laser was employed to induce photothermal conversion, which could trigger rapid DOX desorption from DOX-loaded magnetic MWNTs. Extraction conditions such as amount of magnetic MWNTs added, pH values, adsorption time, desorption solvent and NIR time were investigated and optimized. Method validations including linear range, detection limit, precision, and recovery were also studied. The results showed that the proposed method based on magnetic MWNTs coupled to NIRAD was a simple, rapid and high efficient approach for the analysis of DOXLI in rat tissues.     

Isothermal crystallization kinetics of polypropylene with silane functionalized multi‐walled carbon nanotubes

Multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were functionalized with a silane coupling agent. The MWNTs were first coated with inorganic silica by a sol‐gel process and then grafted with 3‐methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (3‐MPTS). The effect of raw MWNTs and silane‐functionalized MWNTs on the crystallization behavior of poly(propylene) (PP) was investigated by means of polarized optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. Results obtained from isothermal crystallization experiments indicate that 3‐MPTS functionalization affects the crystallization and melting behavior of PP/MWNTs composites remarkably, which can be attributed to the fact that 3‐MPTS functionalization of MWNTs leads to a uniform dispersion of MWNTs in PP matrix resulting in the good nucleating effect of MWNTs. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1616–1624, 2007     

Nanostructured Pt functionlized multiwalled carbon nanotube based hydrogen sensor

Nanostructured Pt functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) produced by catalytic chemical vapor deposition are good room-temperature hydrogen sensors. MWNTs have been synthesized by catalytic chemical vapor deposition of acetylene using a fixed-bed catalytic reactor over hydrides of Mm(0.2)Tb(0.8)CO2 obtained through hydrogen decrepitation technique. Purified and chemically treated MWNTs have been functionalized by Pt resulting in nanostructured dispersion of Pt on CNTs. Structural, morphological, and vibrational characterizations have been carried out using XRD, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, Raman spectroscopy, and FTIR spectroscopy, respectively. Dispersion of Pt on MWNTs was confirmed by elemental analysis using EDX. Systematic investigations of hydrogen sensing properties of Pt-MWNT ensembles have been carried out. The Pt-MWNTs thin films are stable after several cycles of adsorption and desorption. The change in electrical resistance due to hydrogen adsorption is reversible, with increases to saturation on exposure to hydrogen gas. The result demonstrates that the Pt-MWNTs are p-type semiconductor materials, and chemically treated MWNTs functionalized with Pt show the better hydrogen sensing response at room temperature.     

Effect of surfactant structure on the stability of carbon nanotubes in aqueous solution

The suspending behaviors of multiple-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), including pristine MWNTs (p-MWNTs) and acid-mixture-treated MWNTs (MWNTCOOH), stabilized by cationic single-chain surfactant, dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), and cationic gemini surfactant hexyl-alpha,beta-bis(dodecyldimethylammonium bromide) (C 12C 6C 12Br 2) were studied systematically. The surfactant structure influences the suspendability of MWNTs dramatically as well as the surfactant adsorption behavior on the nanotubes. Although both the surfactants can disperse the MWNTs effectively, they actually show different stabilizing ability. DTAB is not capable of stabilizing these two MWNTs below critical micelle concentration (CMC). However, C 12C 6C 12Br 2 can suspend both the nanotubes effectively even well below its CMC. Moreover, the adsorption of these two surfactants reaches equilibrium at twice the CMC with the original MWNT concentration of 2 mg/mL, 2 mM for C 12C 6C 12Br 2, and 30 mM for DTAB. After the adsorption equilibrium, the maximum amounts of the two suspended MWNTs in C 12C 6C 12Br 2 solution are about twice as much as those in DTAB solution. The strong hydrophobic interaction among the C 12C 6C 12Br 2 molecules and between the C 12C 6C 12Br 2 molecules and the nanotubes as well as the high charge capacity of C 12C 6C 12Br 2 lead to its much stronger adsorption ability on the MWNTs and result in its superior stabilizing ability for the MWNTs in aqueous phase. The gemini surfactant provides a possibility to effectively stabilize the MWNTs in aqueous solutions even at very low surfactant concentration well below its CMC.