Optical and Morphological Studies of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube-incorporated Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) Nanocomposites

摘要

Conducting polymers are explored as sensing materials owing to their broad interaction with gases and vapours. The sensitivity of a chemiresistive gas sensor can be improved by the incorporation of multifunctional materials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Here, multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-incorporated poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) nanocomposite films have been fabricated by solution processing followed by drop casting and spin coating using tetrahydrofuran (THF) as an intermediate solvent. The modification of the absorption peaks observed in UV-Vis spectra was consistent with the observation of the polymer coating onto the MWCNT surface. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman vibrational mode spectra of the polymer were obtained after MWCNT incorporation. Coating a polymer onto the nanotube surface was shown to increase the current in the P3HT/MWCNT-OH nanocomposite.