Rapid carbon nanotubes suspension in organic solvents using organosilicon polymers
Federico Dalcanale1, Jonas Grossenbacher2, Gurdial Blugan3
1Empa, Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 129, Duebendorf, Switzerland; Laboratory for Multifunctional Materials, Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 5, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
Abstract:
A strategy for a simple dispersion of commercial multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using two organosilicones, polycarbosilane SMP10 and polysilazane Ceraset PSZ20, in organic solvents such as cyclohexane, tetrahydrofuran (THF), m-xylene and chloroform is presented. In just a few minutes the combined action of sonication and the presence of Pt(0) catalyst is sufficient to obtain a homogeneous suspension, thanks to the rapid hydrosilylation reaction between SiH groups of the polymer and the CNT sidewall. The as-produced suspensions have a particle size distribution <1μm and remain unchanged after several months. A maximum of 0.47 and 0.50mg/ml was achieved, respectively, for Ceraset in THF and SMP10 in chloroform. Possible applications as polymeric and ceramic thin films or aerogels are presented.
