Study of the interfacial chemistry of a surface modified carbon nanotube dispersed in an epoxy resin

PHYS 425

Brittani Batts, ms_batts2005@yahoo.com1, Derrick R. Dean, deand@uab.edu2, and Pamela Leggett-Robinson, pmrobinson@tuskegee.edu1. (1) Department of Chemistry, Tuskegee University, 102 Armstrong Hall, Tuskegee, AL 36088, (2) Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1530 3rd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have recently generated significant interest because of their potential to enhance the mechanical and electrical properties of polymeric nanocomposite materials. One limitation to their widespread use is their inability to homogenously disperse throughout the polymer. Chemical modification of the nanotubes has proven to be an effective method for enhancing dispersion of the carbon nanotubes into the polymer. However, the nature of these resulting interfacial interactions and their resulting properties are not clearly understood. This research studies the interfacial chemistry of amino, carboxy, and fluorine-modified carbon nanotubes and the effect of these modified nanotubes on dispersion in an epoxy resin.
 

PHYS Poster Session - Nanostructured Materials and Nanophotonics
7:30 PM-10:00 PM, Wednesday, April 9, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster

Division of Physical Chemistry

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008