Block copolymers assisted dispersion for single wall carbon nanotubes

Resumen del póster presentado al Internantional Meeting on the Chemistry of Nanotubes: Science and Applications (ChemonTubes), celebrado en Zaragoza del 6 al 9 de abril de 2008.Dispersions of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) were prepared using Polyethyleneoxide (PEO)- Polypropileneoxyde(PPO)- Polyethyleneoxide (PEO) triblock copolymer as dispersing agent. PEO was used as one of the monomers because of its good affinity to water. The second monomer, PPO, was chosen for being more hydrophobic than PEO in order to reach good interactions with SWNTs surface in aqueous media. Thus, several series of polymer’s aqueous solutions were made varying both polymer and SWNTs’ concentration. Applying sonication and controlling experimental conditions, fine and stable dispersions were obtained. The dispersed SWNTs were characterized by TEM, Raman Spectroscopy and XRD. The debundling of SWNTs and the possibility of influencing SWNTs’ alignment are major goals, specially in the field of nanocomposite materials. Besides, the introduction of the dispersed SWNTs into a polymeric matrix, epoxy resin, in order to have a composite material is considered here to be promising since copolymers are chosen also attending to matrix’s affinity.Peer reviewe