Rheological Behavior of Spinning Dope of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube/Polyacrylonitrile Composites

The spinning dope of Multiwalled carbon nanotube/polyacrylonitrile composites was prepared by in-situ polymerization in 50wt% NaSCN solution. The rheological behavior of the dope containing carbon nanotubes from 0.19wt% to 1.9wt% was investigated using rotational rheometry at 60°C.The nanotubes have diameters between 30-50nm and lengths ranging from 6 to 10 μm. The apparent viscosity decreases with the addition of carbon nanotubes; this can be explained by the inhibition of carbon nanotubes during polymerization progress. The spinning dope containing various contents of carbon nanotubes exhibits a shear thickening effect. However, the dynamic rheological test shows there is a peak of complex viscosity with the increasing in frequency.     

Polymer Layered Silicate/Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites: Morphological and Rheological Properties

Morphological and rheological properties of new ternary nanocomposites based on ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), commercial organo-modified clays (organoclays) and purified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), prepared via direct melt blending, have been evaluated. For sake of comparison, the corresponding binary compositions, i.e., EVA filled with either organoclays or MWNTs, have been investigated as well. While extensive exfoliation can be observed for binary EVA/clay nanocomposites, the addition of MWNTs appears to limit clay exfoliation. Rheological properties show that both clay and MWNTs increase the elastic modulus of the nanocomposites, reflecting the high degree of nanoparticle interconnectivity that can be found in these materials.     

Comparisons Among Electrical and Rheological Properties of Melt-Mixed Composites Containing Various Carbon Nanostructures

The present investigation compares different carbon-based nanoscaled materials with regard to their effectiveness in producing thermoplastic polymers with antistatic and electrically conductive behavior. The dispersed phases are carbon black (CB) as spherical particles, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) as fiber-like filler, and expanded graphite (EG) as platelet-like filler. Each was incorporated into polycarbonate by small-scale melt mixing. The electrical percolation concentrations were found to be 2 wt% for MWNT, 4 wt% for EG, and 8.75 wt% for CB which parallels the aspect ratios of the fillers. For EG a strong dependence of morphology and electrical resistivity on mixing time was observed, indicating a structural change/destruction during intensive shear mixing. Rheological percolation thresholds were found to be lower than electrical percolation threshold for the MWNT and CB, but similar in the case of EG. The general impact on complex melt viscosity decreases in the order MWNT, CB, EG. For EG, at higher loadings (above 4wt%) the viscosity increase with filler content is delayed as is the decrease in resistivity.     

Rheological Behaviors of Nanofluids Containing Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube

Stable nanofluids containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) treated by concentrated acid and mechanical mill technology have been prepared. Water, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and silicone oil were used as base fluids. The rheological behaviors of the obtained nanofluids with different MWNT volume fractions and at different temperatures were investigated in details. The glycerol based and silicone oil based fluids behave Newtonian manner in all studied MWNT volume fractions and temperatures. The dispersant hexamethyldisiloxane added in silicone oil decreases the silicone oil viscosity but has no effect on the rheological properties of nanofluids. For the water based nanofluids, MWNTs act as lubricative function when the MWNT volume fraction is lower. Furthermore, for the ethylene glycol based and glycerol based fluid, almost no viscosity augmentation appears when the temperature is higher than 55°C.     

聚噻吩/多壁碳纳米管复合材料结构与导电机理的研究

从结构和相互作用方面对聚噻吩(PTh)/多壁碳纳米管(MWNTs)复合材料进行了研究, 结果表明: 一方面聚噻吩本身的结构对其导电性能有一定的影响, 另一方面MWNTs作为一种掺杂剂, 和聚噻吩之间存在强的相互作用, 电子从MWNTs转移到聚噻吩. MWNTs和它周围被掺杂的聚噻吩通过π-π共轭作用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, 随着这种导电单元数量的增加直至相互接触, 形成大的导电体系, 复合材料的电导率达到最大值.     

Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Produced by a Continuous CVD Method and Their Use in Melt Mixed Composites with Polycarbonate

Summary: In this study, two samples of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) were synthesized by CVD of acetylene over Fe₂Co catalysts supported by CaCO₃ using different temperatures. The material produced at 660 °C (MWNT600) shows slightly better performance as evidenced by lower mean tube diameter and better conductivity as compared to the sample produced at 700 °C (MWNT700). In addition, it has a higher [O]:[C] ratio. Both materials were incorporated into polycarbonate using melt mixing using a small scale compounder. The results prove that these materials are very suitable for polymer composite applications as they show low electrical percolation concentration and good mechanical enhancement. The percolation threshold is as low as <0.875 wt% for MWNT660 and <1 wt% for MWNT700. MWNT700 showed slightly better dispersability as evidenced from light microscopy, SEM, and TEM. The effects in the stress-strain curves are similar in both composites, indicating a stress increase with MWNT incorporation.     

Thermal Degradation and Flammability Properties of Poly(propylene)/Carbon Nanotube Composites

Nanocomposites based on poly(propylene) and multi‐wall carbon nanotubes (up to 2 vol.‐%) were melt blended, yielding a good dispersion of nanotubes without using any organic treatment or additional additives. Carbon nanotubes are found to significantly enhance the thermal stability of poly(propylene) in nitrogen at high temperatures. Specifically, the nanotube additive greatly reduced the heat release rate of poly(propylene). They are found to be at least as effective a flame‐retardant as clay/poly(propylene) nanocomposites.     

Electrocatalysis of Tryptophan at Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Modified Electrode

Acid-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were immobilized on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode to form an MWNT-modified electrode. The electrocatalytic response of the modified electrode towards tryptophan (Trp) was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The results demonstrated that the modified electrode exhibited a high degree of catalytic activity towards the oxidation of Trp. An oxidation peak was obtained in Trp solution at the MWNT-modified electrode. Compared with a bare electrode, the peak current had obviously increased, and the peak potential had shifted in a negative direction. However, under the same conditions, no response was observed for other amino acids. The oxidation peak currents were proportional linearly to the concentration of Trp, a property which could be utilized to detect Trp. The determination conditions, such as the concentration, the composition and the pH values of the supporting electrolyte, accumulation time, as well as scan rate etc. were optimized. Under the chosen conditions, the DPV peak current is linear to the concentration of Trp in the range of 2.5×10^–7 to 1.0×10^–4molL^–1, and the detection limit is 2.7×10^–8molL^–1. Moreover, the detection is free of interference from other amino acids. The modified electrode has been successfully applied to determine the concentration of Trp in composite amino acid injections, and it displays excellent repeatability and higher sensitivity.     

Polyaniline/Silver Nanoparticle-Doped Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Composites

A simple method was used to synthesize the hybrid nanocomposites consisting of the functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube composites (MWCNTs) with the polyaniline incorporated silver nanoparticles (a-MWCNT/PANI-Ag) through an emulsion polymerization at room temperature in order to enhance the electrical conductivity of polyaniline. The electrical conductivity of the composite with the incorporated Ag nanoparticles was 5% higher than the same weight percent for the composite without Ag nanoparticles, and the thermal stability was dramatically increased from 54% for the composite (a-MWCNT/PANI) to 69% through the incorporation of the Ag nanoparticles at 830°C. Additionally, the advantages of the Ag nanoparticles, including the improved electrical and thermal properties without damage to the polyaniline structure, were confirmed using FTIR and Raman spectroscopy.     

Polymorphism and Thermal Behaviour of Syndiotactic Poly(propylene)/Carbon Nanotube Composites

Summary: Nanocomposite materials were obtained by blending multi‐wall carbon nanotubes (CN), obtained by acetylene catalytic chemical vapour deposition (CVD) on Co/Fe‐modified NaY zeolite, with syndiotactic poly(propylene) (sPP). The nanotubes, well dispersed in the polymer matrix, favour the crystallization of the sPP helical chains and significantly improve the sPP thermal stability either in nitrogen or in air. The morphology of the sPP affects the behaviour of the sPP degradation in air.

Thermogravimetric analysis in air of pure sPP and the nanocomposite material.     

硫/多孔碳纳米管复合材料的制备及电化学性能

为了解决单质硫导电性差、充放电过程中体积膨胀、中间产物多硫化物的穿梭效应等问题,将硫负载于一种高比表面积的多孔碳纳米管（PCNTs）,制备了S/PCNT复合材料,研究了其电化学性能。相比于S/CNT,S/PCNT的电化学性能有明显提升,这可归因于S/PCNT中的嵌入结构,为硫在充放电过程中的体积膨胀提供了缓冲空间,避免了硫与电解液的直接接触,进而有效限制多硫化物的溶解,从而缓解多硫化物的穿梭效应,使硫正极具有更好的循环稳定性。     

Photocatalytic Activity of Nanocomposites of ZnO and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Dye Degradation

Nanocomposites of ZnO and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were prepared via electrostatic interaction and in situ hydrothermal synthesis approaches. The ZnO/MWNTs nanocomposites display relatively higher photocatalytic activity than ZnO nanoparticles for the degradation of Rhodamine B. Therein, MWNTs, acting as a photogenerated electron acceptor, retard the recombination of photoinduced electron and hole. The experimental results show that the photocatalytic activity of the ZnO/MWNTs nanocomposites strongly depends on the synthetic route, which is probably due to the difference of surface states resulted from the different preparation processes.     

Introduction of Multiple Hydrogen Bonding for Enhanced Mechanical Performance of Polymer-Carbon Nanotube Composites

Due to their outstanding mechanical properties and high aspect ratios, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are envisioned as attractive nanofillers in polymer composites. However, due to strong van der Waals interactions, deleterious aggregation of CNTs is typically observed in polymer nanocomposites. Moreover, due to low stress transfer between the matrix polymer and the nanotube filler, only limited reinforcement is obtained. We report here a novel functionalization strategy to obtain CNTs with pendant self-complementary hydrogen bonding groups in order to address these limitations. Multi-walled CNTs were functionalized with ureidopyrimidinone (UPy) groups, which display multiple hydrogen bonding. The functionalized CNTs were blended with acrylic copolymers containing pendant UPy moieties and significant enhancement in tensile performance of the nanocomposites was observed.     

Rheological Investigations in Understanding Shear‐Enhanced Crystallization of Isotactic Poly(propylene)/Multi‐Walled Carbon Nanotube Composites

A novel experimental technique to follow the crystallization processes of poly(propylene)/MWCNT composites that experience a steady shear deformation using dynamic melt rheometry is described. The effects of heterogeneous nucleation, temperature, and preshear on the crystallization behaviors were determined. A quantitative evaluation of crystallization kinetics difference between quiescent and preshear conditions could be achieved. By combining rheology with POM, we demonstrate that two different crystallization processes account for the shear‐enhanced crystallization at low and high temperatures, respectively.

     

聚苯乙烯/碳纳米管复合材料研究进展

聚苯乙烯/碳纳米管复合材料是近年来开发的新型聚合物基复合材料,具有独特的一维纳米管分散微结构,往往表现出比纯聚苯乙烯更好的机械力学性能、电学性能和热性能等,在诸多领域具有广泛的应用前景.本文首先简要介绍了碳纳米管的结构特点、制备与纯化和性能,然后重点阐述了聚苯乙烯/碳纳米管复合材料的几种制备方法、结构表征以及力学、电学和热性能等方面的研究进展,并对聚苯乙烯共聚物/碳纳米管复合材料的研究现状进行介绍.     

Isothermal and Non-Isothermal Crystallization Kinetics and Morphology of Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Composites

Summary: Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) synthesized using chemical vapor deposition method were dispersed in poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT, Mv = 88,000) by melt compounding technique using DMS microcompounder. The nanocomposites consisting of varying amounts of MWCNTs were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effect of carbon nanotubes on the crystallization behavior (under isothermal and non isothermal crystallization conditions) of PTT was studied using DSC. The presence of carbon nanotubes didn't show any significant effect on crystallization temperature of PTT matrix under non-isothermal conditions. Crystallization studies under isothermal conditions were carried out at different temperatures i.e 185, 190, 195 and 200 °C. Complete crystallization was observed within 60 sec at 185 °C whereas at 200 °C, longer time was required for complete crystallization. Crystal growth was also investigated using hot stage polarizing microscope (PLM). The effect of annealing time at 200 °C was investigated in the presence as well as in the absence of varying amounts of MWCNTs. Spherulitic growth was seen and the spherulite size in all the samples increased with annealing time. Morphological characterization using SEM and TEM showed a uniform dispersion of MWCNTs and poor compatibility with PTT matrix.     

Highly Stretchable Supercapacitors Based on Aligned Carbon Nanotube/Molybdenum Disulfide Composites

Stretchable supercapacitors that can sustain their performance under unpredictable tensile force are important elements for practical applications of various portable and wearable electronics. However, the stretchability of most reported supercapacitors was often lower than 100 % because of the limitation of the electrodes used. Herein we developed all‐solid‐state supercapacitors with a stretchability as high as 240 % by using aligned carbon nanotube composites with compact structure as electrodes. By combined with pseudocapacitive molybdenum disulfide nanosheets, the newly developed supercapacitor showed a specific capacitance of 13.16 F cm^?3, and also showed excellent cycling retention (98 %) after 10 000 charge–discharge cycles. This work also presents a general and effective approach in developing high‐performance electrodes for flexible and stretchable electronics.     

碳纳米管/聚丙烯腈原液的制备及可纺性

通过原位聚合的方法制备了碳纳米管／聚丙烯腈复合材料原液,并采用湿纺成型工艺制得碳纳米管／聚丙烯腈复合材料纤维。与共混工艺相比较,采用该方法制得的碳纳米管／聚丙烯腈复合材料碳纳米管在聚丙烯腈基中分散均匀,具有较好的可纺性。     

Nanofibrilar Polyaniline: Direct Route to Carbon Nanotube Water Dispersions of High Concentration

Water dispersible nanofibrilar polyaniline (NF‐PANI) provides a novel and direct route towards carbon nanotube water dispersions of high concentration. Carrying out the chemical synthesis of NF‐PANI in the presence of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) results in an entirely nanostructured nanofibrilar polyaniline/carbon nanotube (NF‐PANI/CNT) composite material that contains well segregated CNTs partially coated by NF‐PANI. This new approach is simple, fast, and inexpensive, and enables the direct preparation of stable and homogeneous dispersions of the composites in water at concentrations up to 10 mg · mL⁻¹, even for the highest CNT loadings of 50 wt.‐% without the participation of surfactants or stabilizers.

     

纳米二氧化钛/碳纳米管复合催化剂光催化性能及碳纳米管组分的作用

运用溶胶-凝胶及低温水热法合成纳米TiO₂/碳纳米管复合催化剂, 以甲基橙为目标降解物考察复合物的光催化活性. 运用X光衍射、透射电镜、Brunauer-Emmett-Teller低温氮气吸附、差热-热重分析及紫外-可见漫反射吸收光谱等表征催化剂. 结果表明, 与单纯纳米TiO₂相比, 溶胶-凝胶法制备的复合催化剂的光催化活性显著提高, 实验条件下复合的碳纳米管最适含量为3%(碳纳米管/TiO₂, 重量百分比), 复合催化剂经在缓和氧化气氛中焙烧处理可在保持碳纳米管热稳定前提下获得纳米TiO₂的充分晶化. 观察到了低温水热合成的复合催化剂的甲基橙降解活性的进一步提升, 复合催化剂中纳米TiO₂在碳纳米管表面分散均匀, TiO₂和碳纳米管组分间的紧密和充分键合及低温水热条件下催化剂的大比表面积、超细粒径以及碳纳米管的热稳定等有利于复合催化剂的光催化活性. 进一步地, 探讨了复合催化剂中适量碳纳米管组分的光活性促活机制.