A Novel Preparation Method of Carbon Nanotubes by Spinning Core/shell Polymer Particles

摘要

A novel preparation method of carbon nanotube (CNT) was developed by using a polymer blend technique. Two kinds of polymers are used as raw materials: one is polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as a carbon precursor polymer and another is polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as a thermally decomposable polymer without carbon residue. Fine three-layered core/shell polymer particles with a PMMA/PAN/PMMA structure were synthesized by a soap-free emulsion polymerization method using potassium persulfate as a radical initiator. The particles were ca.500nm_in diameter and quite uniform. They were melt-spun, stabilized and finally carbonized at 1000__at which CNTs of 10-20nm in diameter were derived from PAN after removal of PMMA. The PMMA core and the outer PMMA shell played the roles of forming hollow tubes and avoiding fusing of PAN shells at melt-spinning process, respectively.