Enhancing dispersion and properties of MWNT-polymer nanocomposites by controlled noncovalent interactions

POLY 197

Dias Linton, linton@ion.chem.utk.edu, Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 552 Buehler Hall, Knoxville, TN 37996 and M. D. Dadmun, Dad@utk.edu, Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Buehler Hall, Knoxville, TN 37996.
The enhancement of the dispersion and properties of multiwalled carbon nanotubes in a polymer nanocomposite via non-covalent interaction is studied. 1% w/w MWNT are dispersed in random copolymers of methyl methacrylate and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), where the composition of the copolymer varies from 0% to 50% DMAEMA. The resulting nanocomposites indicate the existence of interactions between the carbon nanotube and polymer matrix by a shift of the D* peak (~2600-2700 cm-1) peak position of the polymer nanocomposite. The copolymer with 30% DMAEMA shows the largest shift, which indicates that this copolymer exhibits the highest extent of interaction with the carbon nanotube, where it is expected that this non-covalent interaction originate from the tertiary amino group in DMAEMA by formation of an electron-donor interaction with the MWNT.
 

General Papers: Polymers in Nanotechnology
6:00 PM-8:00 PM, Sunday, August 19, 2007 BCEC -- Exhibit Hall - B2, Poster

Sci-Mix
8:00 PM-10:00 PM, Monday, August 20, 2007 BCEC -- Exhibit Hall - B2, Sci-Mix

Division of Polymer Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007