Vinyl–carbon nanotubes for composite polymer materials

Abstract

Abstract We report herein a simple method for attaching vinyl groups onto the sidewalls of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the application of vinyl–carbon nanotubes (CNT–CC) in fabricating polymer composites. The synthesis of CNT–CC was monitored with IR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The obtained CNT–CC showed good compatibility with the in situ polymerization of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and exhibited no tendency for phase separation in the final composite. A transmission electron microscopy study revealed a uniform coating on the CNT–CC tubes, indicating good grafting efficiency of PMMA. The uniform dielectric PMMA coating was responsible for the lower electrical conductivity of the CNT–CC/PMMA composites versus that of the CNTs without vinyl modification. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008