Polyvinylferrocene for Noncovalent Dispersion and Redox-Controlled Precipitation of Carbon Nanotubes in Nonaqueous Media

Abstract

We report noncovalent dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in organic liquids with extremely high loading (∼2 mg mL(-1)) using polyvinylferrocene (PVF). In contrast to common dispersants, PVF does not contain any conjugated structures or ionic moieties. PVF is also shown to be effective in controlling nanotube dispersion and reprecipitation because it exhibits redox-switchable affinity for solvents, while maintaining stable physical attachment to CNTs during redox transformation. This switchability provides a novel approach to creating CNT-functionalized surfaces. The material systems described here offer new opportunities for applications of CNTs in nonaqueous media, such as nanotube-polymer composites and organic liquid-based optical limiters, and expand the means of tailoring nanotube dispersion behavior via external stimuli, with potential applications in switching devices. The PVF/CNT hybrid system with enhanced redox response of ferrocene may also find applications in high-performance biosensors and pseudocapacitors.

Energetically efficient electrochemically tunable affinity separation using multicomponent polymeric nanostructures for water treatment

“…2a) consisted of a carbon cloth (CC) with a conformal coating of a polyvinylferrocene/polypyrrole (PVF/PPY) hybrid, fabricated via simultaneous electro-polymerization of pyrrole and electrodeposition of PVF. 27 In the binary polymer film, the ferrocene moieties in PVF rendered redox-tunable hydrophobicity (i.e., the oxidized ferrocene is significantly more hydrophilic than its reduced form), 28 while the conjugated PPY chains established electron transport pathways to permit electrical control. The CC, composed of bendable carbon microfibers, served as a flexible and robust conductive substrate.…”

A novel ferrocene-containing polymer based dispersant for noncovalent dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in chloroform

“…Recently, ferrocene and its derivates have been employed to functionalize CNTs. Guldi et al prepared single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and ferrocene nanohybrid via covalent modification and M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 3 (polyvinylferrocene) was able to disperse the CNTs in both CHCl 3 and THF with high concentration [17]. The polyvinylferrocene modified CNTs were prepared and the interactions between ferrocene moieties and CNTs were studied.…”

Microwave-Assisted Oxidation of Electrospun Turbostratic Carbon Nanofibers for Tailoring Energy Storage Capabilities

“…Nonetheless, carbon electrodes are still the most popular choice to date for use in commercial supercapacitor devices due to their ease of synthesis, low cost, and exceptional chemical and electrochemical stability. [48][49][50] Metal oxides (e.g., RuO 2 , [51,52] MnO 2 [53,54] ) and electroactive polymers (e.g., polyaniline, [55,56] polyvinylferrocene) [57,58] exhibit pseudocapacitive characteristics, and have been shown to deliver remarkably higher capacitance values than those of carbon materials possessing only DL capacitances. However, several challenges still remain -the high cost of Ru-based oxides may prohibit them from use in practical applications, while the cycling instability and the poor rate performance of Mn-based oxides and electroactive polymers remain critical issues that require careful examination.…”