Supercritical fluid-assisted synthesis of a carbon nanotubes-grafted biocompatible polymer composite

Abstract

A nanocomposite consisting of multi-wall nanotubes (MWNTs) grafted with a biocompatible polymer poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) was prepared by in situ polymerization in supercritical carbon dioxide. The surface of the MWNTs was first surface modified with hydroxyl groups in the solution of KMnO 4 and a phase-transfer catalyst. MWNT-OH was then functionalized with vinyl groups using a silane coupling agent, γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane. The silane groups can improve the dipersion of MWNTs in supercritical carbon dioxide, while the terminal vinyl groups help fabricate polymer chains on the MWNT surface. The as-synthesized products were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermo-gravimetric analysis. The SEM and TEM images showed that the nanotubes were well coated with the polymer shell. The composite had higher thermal stability than the pure polymer and dispersed well in methanol. This biocompatible polymer composite was prepared using a green method and is expected to be useful as a biomaterial composite with potential applications in the biological field.

Green Synthesis and Characterization of Carbon Nanotubes/Polyaniline Nanocomposites

“…However, PANI has low conductivity, which limits its electrochemical performance and applications in developing electrical devices. To overcome this problem, CNTs have been assessed as potential candidates owing to their unique structure and excellent mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties as well as their high surface area [6][7][8]. A method to prepare composites of the two materials is needed to combine the advantages of PANI and CNTs.…”

“…Composites consisting of CNTs and PANI have been developed for different applications in lithium ion batteries, supercapacitors, catalysts, solar cells, nanodevices, chemical sensors, and biosensors [6][7][8][9][10]. Improved stability of the composites has been achieved by the synergistic combination of the excellent conducting and mechanical properties of CNTs sheets with the high pseudo capacitance of PANI [9].…”

High quality electrocatalyst by Pd–Pt alloys nanoparticles uniformly distributed on polyaniline/carbon nanotubes for effective methanol oxidation

“…Since the nitrogen in polyaniline (PANI) can be combined with metal nanoparticles (NPs), PANI with good electrical conductivity [12][13][14][15][16][17] was further introduced to improve the dispersion performance of metal NPs. However, a volume change of PANI would occur in the process of charging and discharging [18,19], and to solve this issue, the skeletal structure of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with a large surface area and better electrical conductivity was introduced [20][21][22][23].…”

Modifications of mechanical, thermal, and electrical characteristics of epoxy through dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in supercritical carbon dioxide

“…The advantages of using SCC over conventional methods for processing of carbon nanomaterials are not only environmental but also chemical and economical. Due to its unique inexpensive, non-toxic, and non-flammable properties and excellent recyclability without energy expenditures, SCC has been used for processing of one dimensional carbon nanostructures [1], synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [2,3], patterning of carbon nanomaterials [4], growth of CNTs [5] and carbon nanocages [6], purification of sing-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) [7,8], coating of inorganic nanoparticles [9] and polymers over carbon nanostructured surfaces [10], non-covalent functionalization of CNTs with molecular anchors [11], and preparation of endohedral derivatives of CNTs [12] and CNT/polymer composites [13][14][15].…”