Polymer-Assisted Dispersion of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in Alcohols and Applicability toward Carbon Nanotube/Sol-Gel Composite Formation

摘要

Single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWCNTs)were directly dispersed into various alcohols by sonicating the nanotubes in the presence of poly(4-vinylpyridine)(P4VP).Depending upon the alcohol,it was possible to disperse up to 0.3 g of SWCNTs per liter of alcohol using only 0.6 g of P4VP,and with solution stability greater than 6 weeks.Scanning electron microscopy of"bucky"paper prepared from the polymer-treated nanotubes revealed reduced bundle size compared to the corresponding untreated nanotube paper.Additionally,the applicability of the dispersion system in the formation of SWCNT/silica composites is demonstrated.