Dramatic property enhancement in polyetherimide using low-cost commercially functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes via a facile solution processing method

Abstract

Polyetherimide (PEI) has excellent mechanical and thermal properties, and exceptional fire resistance. Developing even broader multi-functionality in PEI/carbon nanotube (CNT) composites for industrial applications is an alluring but challenging goal, due to processing difficulties related to the high pressure and temperature needed to achieve effective flow for this polymer, and costly and complex treatments of the CNTs. Here we report the fabrication of PEI nanocomposite films using low-cost commercially functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), and a simple and innovative process, achieving exceptional properties with only 0.5 wt% of MWNTs, including an increase in electrical conductivity of 12 orders of magnitude, accompanied by an unprecedented increase of 86 degrees C in thermal decomposition temperature (higher service temperature). Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed a high degree of uniform dispersion among the MWNTs, superb polymer-MWNT interaction and formation of a spatially homogeneous nanotube network within the matrix. The enhancement in these properties suggests great potential use for this developed processing approach and the resulting nanocomposites for multi-functional coating or interfacing materials in aerospace and electronic industries.

Carbon nanotube buckypaper reinforced polymer composites: a review

“…Dispersed CNT reinforced composites are usually prepared by melt-mixing [62] , mixing solution [63] or in situ polymerization [64] . Also, their carbon content is generally lower than 5 wt.% and the nanotube bundles are dispersed through the matrix without forming a network.…”

Superior Performance Nanocomposites from Uniformly Dispersed Octadecylamine Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

“…The first step between 160 and 210 °C might result from the presence of labile methyl group present in polymer structure. This labile methyl group may belong to bisphenol A, or dianhydride, some residuals during the PEI synthesis process [2]. The second step is the main decomposition of the PEI matrix, due to the cleavage of phenyl-phthalimide bonds [2].…”

“…This labile methyl group may belong to bisphenol A, or dianhydride, some residuals during the PEI synthesis process [2]. The second step is the main decomposition of the PEI matrix, due to the cleavage of phenyl-phthalimide bonds [2]. As shown in Figure 5a, the decomposition temperature was increased with increasing c-MWCNT-ODA concentration, and it reached the maximum value at 1.0 wt %, where it started to decrease with a further increase of the c-MWCNT-ODA concentration.…”

“…Some drawbacks include extremely low conductivity, atmospheric moisture absorption, and poor fluidity at high temperature, which greatly limits its application. Many efforts to improve its properties by adding carbon nanotubes (CNT) [1][2][3] or graphitic nanoplatelets (GNP) [4] into the matrix, or compositing with other special structure materials such as liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) [5,6] or carbon nanofibers (CNF) have been reported [7,8]. Carbon nanotubes have drawn large attention as "materials of the 21st century" due to their impressive physical and chemical properties since their serendipitous discovery in 1991 [9].…”

Nanocomposites of Multiphase Polymer Blend Reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes: Processing and Characterization

“…discs oriented in the three-dimensional space making a fine model for graphene dispersions. [130] The value of percolation threshold changes with many factors. Carbon nanotubes percolation is sensitive to the wall-multiplicity and the purity.…”