Nanocomposites from stable dispersions of carbon nanotubes in polymeric matrices using dispersion interaction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9493635-B2
Application number	US-64401906-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2006
Priority date	Jul 31, 2006
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

Stable dispersions of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in polymeric matrices include CNTs dispersed in a host polymer or copolymer whose monomers have delocalized electron orbitals, so that a dispersion interaction results between the host polymer or copolymer and the CNTs dispersed therein. Nanocomposite products, which are presented in bulk, or when fabricated as a film, fiber, foam, coating, adhesive, paste, or molding, are prepared by standard means from the present stable dispersions of CNTs in polymeric matrices, employing dispersion interactions, as presented hereinabove.

First claim

We claim:

1. A stable dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a polymeric matrix for use as a nanocomposite, comprising CNTs dispersed thermodynamically in a host copolypeptide at a high enough concentration such that the resulting nanocomposites are electrically conductive, show at least about a 52% increase in Young's Modulus, at least about a 250% increase in yield strength, and at least about a 41% increase in percent elongation at break, wherein the copolypeptide comprises an aromatic unit and a non-aromatic unit, and wherein donor-acceptor interactions are tuned to result in an induced dipole dispersion interaction between the host copolypeptide and the CNTs dispersed therein.

2. The dispersion of claim 1 wherein the aromatic unit comprises a phenyl ring or a derivative thereof.

3. The dispersion of claim 1 wherein the aromatic unit is an aromatic amino acid, and the non-aromatic unit is a non-aromatic amino acid.

4. The dispersion of claim 3 , wherein the aromatic amino acid is Phenylalanine, and the non-aromatic amino acid is Leucine.

5. The dispersion of claim 1 , wherein the host copolypeptide additionally comprises electron-donating or electron-accepting functional groups which have been introduced in an aromatic moiety of the aromatic unit.

6. A nanocomposite prepared from the dispersion of claim 1 .

7. A nanocomposite prepared from the dispersion of claim 4 .

8. A nanocomposite prepared from the dispersion of claim 5 .

9. The nanocomposite of claim 6 which is a film.

10. The nanocomposite of claim 7 which is a film.

11. The nanocomposite of claim 8 which is a film.

Assignees

• Wise Kristopher Eric
• Park Cheol
• Kang Jin Ho
• Siochi Emilie J
• Harrison Joycelyn S
• Nasa

Inventors

• Wise Kristopher Eric
• Park Cheol
• Kang Jin Ho
• Siochi Emilie J
• Harrison Joycelyn S

Classifications

• C08K2201/011

  Nanostructured additives · CPC title

• C08K7/24 Primary

  inorganic · CPC title

• B82Y30/00

  Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites · CPC title