Electric potential variation between two graphene sheets upon adsorption of Na-AHA molecules.

No abstract

Blends of polypropylene (PP) and polyamide 6 (PA6) with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were prepared using different processing strategies in a twin-screw micro-compounder. The effect of MWNTs on the crystallization behaviour of the PP phase and the PA6 phase of the blend has been investigated through non-isothermal crystallization studies by differential scanning calorimetric analysis. Furthermore, the effect of the addition of the compatibilizer (PP-g-MA) and the modification of MWNTs (m-MWNTs) with a non-covalent organic modifier (Li-salt of 6 amino hexanoic acid, Li-AHA) has also been studied in context to the crystallization behaviour of the PP and PA6 phase in the blend. The crystallization studies have indicated a significant increase in bulk crystallization temperature of the PP phase in the blend in the presence of MWNTs. Moreover, the formation of 'trans-lamellar crystalline' structure consisting of PA6 'trans-crystalline lamellae' on MWNTs surface was facilitated in the case of blends prepared via 'protocol 2' as compared to the corresponding blends prepared via 'protocol 1'. Wide angle X-ray diffraction analysis has showed the existence of a β-polymorph of the PP phase due to incorporation of the PA6 phase in the blend. Addition of MWNTs in the blends has facilitated further β-crystalline structure formation of the PP phase. In the presence of m-MWNTs, a higher β-fraction was observed in the PP phase as compared to the blend with pristine MWNTs. Addition of PP-g-MA has suppressed the β-phase formation in the PP phase in the blend. X-ray bulk texture analysis revealed that incorporation of PA6 as well as pristine/modified MWNTs has influenced the extent of orientation of the PP chains towards specific crystalline planes in various blend compositions of PP and PA6.

Photon correlation spectroscopy and rheological measurements are performed to investigate the microscopic dynamics and mechanical responses of aqueous solutions of triblock copolymers and aqueous mixtures of triblock copolymers and anionic surfactants. Increasing the concentration of triblock copolymers results in a sharp increase in the magnitude of the complex moduli characterising the samples. This is understood in terms of the changes in the aggregation and packing behaviours of the copolymers and the constraints imposed upon their dynamics due to increased close packing. The addition of suitable quantities of an anionic surfactant to a strongly elastic copolymer solution results in a decrease in the complex moduli of the samples by several decades. It is argued that the shape anisotropy and size polydispersity of the micelles comprising mixtures cause dramatic changes in the packing behaviour, resulting in sample unjamming and the observed decrease in complex moduli. Finally, a phase diagram is constructed in the temperature-surfactant concentration plane to summarise the jamming-unjamming behaviour of aggregates constituting triblock copolymer-anionic surfactant mixtures.