One-Pot Synthesis and Processing of Transparent, Conducting, and Freestanding Carbon Nanotubes/Polyaniline Composite Films

Abstract

In this work, we report for the first time, the synthesis of several carbon nanotube (CNT)/polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites obtained through interfacial polymerization, in which the resulting material is obtained directly as a transparent and freestanding film at the water−toluene interface. The films are obtained spontaneously with high stability and can be easily transferred with high optical quality to any kind of substrate or directly to a desirable device. Samples containing several CNT/PANI ratios have been prepared. The characterization of the resulting materials was carried out by FT-IR, UV−vis-NIR, and Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammetry, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and conductivity measurements. The results indicate that the polymerization of aniline starts at the carbon nanotube walls, resulting in polymer-coated CNTs. A π−π interaction between the CNTs and the PANI is proposed. The formation of the self-standing films is discussed in terms of the stabilization of the water−toluene interface.

The effect of different chemical treatments on the structure and stability of aqueous dispersion of iron- and iron oxide-filled multi-walled carbon nanotubes

“…24 This is a very interesting and specific CNT sample because it presents magnetic properties due to the ironbased fillers. 25 The specific synergistic combination of the electrical and mechanical CNT-based properties and the optical and magnetic iron and iron oxide properties result in an unusual multifunctional material, which has been widely used in our research group as a gas sensor and in electrical memory devices, 26 as a filler in organic photovoltaic devices, 27 in conducting-polymers and metal nanoparticlebased nanocomposites, 28,29 and in electrochemical electrodes. 30 For many of these applications, specific chemical treatments must be performed first in order to remove impurities, add functionalities and/or stabilize the CNT dispersion.…”

Transferable, transparent and functional polymer@graphene 2D objects

“…These remarkable phenomena have recently attracted research interest in 2D organic materials, including 2D polymers [7][8][9][10] and quasi-2D polymers. [11][12][13][14][15] The focus has mainly been on their chemical and biological properties and their applications as separation membranes, smart surfaces and sensors, and for catalysis and drug delivery. However, the 2D polymers reported to date are only limited to very specific building blocks and microscale sizes because of the lack of robust methods to produce them.…”

Polyurethane foam coated with a multi-walled carbon nanotube/polyaniline nanocomposite for a skin-like stretchable array of multi-functional sensors

“…Electrons generated by the NH 3 molecules adsorbed onto PANI can be easily transferred to MWCNTs and then to the Au electrodes according to the energy bands. [40][41][42][43] In the core-shell-type structure, where PANI is completely coated on the surface of MWCNTs, as evident from Figure 1b, the charge transfer between PANI and the MWCNTs is enhanced owing to the strong interfacial affinity. The MWCNTs most likely withdraw electrons from the reduced PANI, leading to complete recovery of the gas sensor based on the MWCNT-PANI nanocomposite within a short time.…”