CARBON NANOTUBES

DISPERSION
Properties of CNTs

Mechanical properties - ultimate high strength fiber, higher

elasticity
Specific gravity - lower compared to other carbon allotropes
Electrical conductivity
Electron mobility
Thermal conductivity - high thermal conductivity and expansion
Thermal stability
Dispersion of CNTs

Major problems: dispersion of entangled CNT during processing and poor

interfacial interaction between CNTs and polymer matrix.
Dispersion of CNTs:

Large surface area

held together in bundles or entanglements
how to incorporate individual CNTs, or at least relatively thin CNT bundles or
disentangled CNTs, inside a polymer matrix
Mechanical Dispersions of CNTs:
ULTRASONICATION
act of applying ultrasound energy to agitate particles in a solution
effective method to disperse CNTs in liquids having a low viscosity, such as
water, acetone and ethanol
CNTs dispersed in volatile solvents, such as ethanol and acetone, the samples
should be kept cold (e.g. using an ice bath) and the sonication must be done in
short intervals.
Mechanical Dispersions of CNTs:
CALENDERING PROCESS
machine tool that employs the shear force created by rollers to mix, disperse or
homogenize viscous materials
Mechanical Dispersions of CNTs:
BALL MILLING
grinding method used to grind materials into extremely fine powder for use in
paints, pyrotechnics and ceramics
Mechanical Dispersions of CNTs:
STIR AND EXTRUSION
Stir is a common technique to disperse particles in liquid systems and can be
used as well to disperse CNTs in a polymer matrix
caused by frictional contacts and elastic interlocking mechanisms
Extrusion is a popular technique to disperse CNTs into solid polymers like most
thermoplastics, where thermoplastic pellets mixed with CNTs are fed into the
extruder hopper.
Functionalization of cnts
Functionalization of cnts
Functionalization of cnts