No 4, Vol. 5, 2004 
 

THERMOSET AND THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES USING POLYMER WRAPPED SWNTs AS REINFORCEMENT

R.A. Bley, R.C. Niedner, G.S. Herring, G.C. Motoc, K.D. LeRoy and M.B. Post

Eltron Research Inc., 4600 Nautilus Court South, Boulder, CO 80301-3241, USA

Abstract

We are developing a method for incorporating Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNT) into thermosets and thermoplastics to act as reinforcement. The helical structure of poly (m-phenylenevinylene-co-2,5-dioctoxy-p-phenylenevinylene) (PmPV) encourages this polymer to wind itself around both individual SWNTs and multiple SWNT ropes. This forms a polymer/nanotube mixture in which the polymer is mechanically anchored to the nanotube but is not chemically bound to it. Because interaction between the PmPV and SWNTs is purely mechanical, no incursion into the bond structure of the SWNTs occurs. Our current work involves the functionalization of the side chains of PmPV so that chemical binding between the PmPV and matrix can be made possible.

full paper (pdf, 156 Kb)