Synthesis and characteristics of multi-walled carbon nanotubes-polyimide nanocomposite films

The polyimide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (PI/MWNTs) nanocomposite film has been successfully synthesized in this study. The source of MWNTs is prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Then the MWNTs are washed with acid for purification before being added into the polymer matrix. The acid-modified procedure aids in dispersing MWNTs in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) solvent. Based on the results of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the MWNTs are embedded in PI and well-dispersed within the PI matrix. The dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) shows that the storage modulus of nanocomposite film is increased by 68% with the addition of 1 wt% MWNTs into PI. The nanocomposite films start to decompose at or above 400 degrees C and lose 5% of its weight at 545 degrees C according to thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Meanwhile, the electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite film with 3 wt% MWNTs, is raised more than 10 orders of magnitude from 10(-15) to 10(-5) S/cm.