Ordered Wrapping of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) on Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017298208-A1
Application number	US-201715435292-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 16, 2017
Priority date	Feb 16, 2016
Publication date	Oct 19, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibit high electrical and thermal conductivity and good mechanical properties, making them suitable fillers for composites. Their effectiveness as a filler is affected by their state of aggregation. Novel ordered helical wrapping of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) has been achieved on single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). This carbon nanotube composite not only thwarts CNT aggregation, but also may be successfully leveraged for applications such as electrical energy storage and mechanical reinforcement.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A carbon nanotube composite, comprising: a carbon nanotube wrapped with a polymer, wherein said polymer is wrapped on said carbon nanotube as an ordered helix.

2 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein said carbon nanotube is a single wall carbon nanotube.

3 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein said polymer is poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA).

4 . The composite of claim 3 , wherein said PMMA is syndiotactic.

5 . The composite of claim 3 , wherein said PMMA is atactic.

6 . The composite of claim 1 , wherein the PMMA has been removed.

7 . A buckypaper, comprising: carbon nanotubes wherein a polymer is wrapped on said carbon nanotubes as an ordered helix.

8 . The buckypaper of claim 7 , wherein the PMMA has been removed.

9 . The buckypaper of claim 8 , having a surface area of at least about 750 m2/g.

10 . The buckypaper of claim 8 , having a surface area of at least about 900 m2/g.

11 . A method of preparing a buckypaper of polymer-wrapped carbon nanotubes, wherein said polymer is wrapped on said carbon nanotube as an ordered helix, comprising the steps of:
(a) suspending carbon nanotubes in a solvent to form a homogenized carbon nanotube/solvent suspension; (b) adding PMMA to the carbon nanotube suspension of step (a) to form a PMMA/carbon nanotube/solvent suspension; (c) sonicating the suspension of step (b); (d) filtering the suspension of step (c); (e) washing and drying the filtrate of step (d) to produce the buckypaper of polymer-wrapped carbon nanotubes.

12 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising the step of: (f) removing the PMMA from the prepared buckypaper.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein said solvent is dimethylformamide (DMF).

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the PMMA concentration in the PMMA/carbon nanotube/solvent suspension of step (b) is below the critical overlap concentration.

15 . A film comprising the carbon nanotube composite of claim 1 .

16 . A fiber comprising the carbon nanotube composite of claim 1 .

17 . A suspension comprising a liquid and polymer wrapped carbon nanotubes wherein said polymer is wrapped on said carbon nanotubes as an ordered helix.

18 . The suspension of claim 14 , wherein said liquid is DMF.

19 . The suspension of claim 14 , wherein said polymer is PMMA.

20 . The suspension of claim 14 , wherein said liquid is nitromethane.

21 . The suspension of claim 14 , wherein said liquid is DMSO.

22 . The suspension of claim 14 , wherein said liquid is an organic solvent.

23 . The suspension of claim 14 , wherein said polymer is a co-polymer of PMMA.

Assignees

• Georgia Tech Res Inst

Inventors

• Davijani Amir Ahmad Bakhtiary
• Kumar Satish

Classifications

• D21H15/12

  partly organic, partly inorganic · CPC title

• C01B32/174

  Derivatisation; Solubilisation; Dispersion in solvents · CPC title

• D21H15/02

  characterised by configuration · CPC title

• D01F9/12

  Carbon filaments; Apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture thereof · CPC title

• C01B32/172

  Sorting · CPC title