Characterization of Carbon Nanomaterials Dispersions: Can Metal Decoration of MWCNTs Improve Their Physicochemical Properties?

A suitable dispersion of carbon materials (e.g., carbon nanotubes (CNTs)) in an appropriate dispersant media, is a prerequisite for many technological applications (e.g., additive purposes, functionalization, mechanical reinforced materials for electrolytes and electrodes for energy storage applications, etc.). Deep eutectic solvents (DES) have been considered as a promising "green" alternative, providing a versatile replacement to volatile organic solvents due to their unique physical-chemical properties, being recognized as low-volatility fluids with great dispersant ability. The present work aims to contribute to appraise the effect of the presence of MWCNTs and Ag-functionalized MWCNTs on the physicochemical properties (viscosity, density, conductivity, surface tension and refractive index) of glyceline (choline chloride and glycerol, 1:2), a Type III DES. To benefit from possible synergetic effects, AgMWCNTs were prepared through pulse reverse electrodeposition of Ag nanoparticles into MWCNTs. Pristine MWCNTs were used as reference material and water as reference dispersant media for comparison purposes. The effect of temperature (20 to 60 °C) and concentration on the physicochemical properties of the carbon dispersions (0.2-1.0 mg cm^-3) were assessed. In all assessed physicochemical properties, AgMWCNTs outperformed pristine MWCNTs dispersions. A paradoxical effect was found in the viscosity trend in glyceline media, in which a marked decrease in the viscosity was found for the MWCNTs and AgMWCNTs materials at lower temperatures. All physicochemical parameters were statistically analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), at a 5% level of significance.

Ionic Liquid as Dispersing Agent of LDH-Carbon Nanotubes into a Biodegradable Vinyl Alcohol Polymer

A Zn/Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) hosting carbon nanotubes (80% of CNTs) was synthesized and dispersed into a commercial biodegradable highly amorphous vinyl alcohol polymer at different loading (i.e., 1; 3; 5; 10 wt %). In order to improve the degree of dispersion of the filler into the polymer matrix, an ionic liquid (IL) based on 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethyl-5-sodiosulfoisophthalate was added to the composites’ mixtures. Structural characterization of filler and polymeric composites was carried out. The analysis of thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of the composites, resulted improved compared to the unfilled material, allowed to hypothesize a good dispersion of the LDH-CNTs lamellar filler into the polymer matrix-assisted by the ionic liquid. This was demonstrated comparing electrical conductivity of composite at 5% of LDH-CNTs in the presence and in the absence of IL. The experimental results showed that the electrical conductivity of the sample with IL is four orders of magnitude higher than the one without IL. Furthermore, the percolation threshold of the whole system resulted very low—0.26% of LDH-CNTs loading, which is 0.21% of CNTs.

Modulating Chirality-Selective Photoluminescence of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Ionic Liquids

The chirality-selective near-infrared emission of surfactant-stabilized single-wall carbon nanotubes could be controlled by simply varying the anion of the commonly used 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids. This result advances the notion of the designer solvent ability of ionic liquids and provides opportunities for modulating the properties of nanomaterials.

Graphene based room temperature flexible nanocomposites from permanently cross-linked networks

Graphene based room temperature flexible nanocomposites were prepared using epoxy thermosets for the first time. Flexible behavior was induced into the epoxy thermosets by introducing charge transfer complexes between functional groups within cross linked epoxy and room temperature ionic liquid ions. The graphene nanoplatelets were found to be highly dispersed in the epoxy matrix due to ionic liquid cation–π interactions. It was observed that incorporation of small amounts of graphene into the epoxy matrix significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of the epoxy. In particular, a 0.6 wt% addition increased the tensile strength and Young’s modulus by 125% and 21% respectively. The electrical resistance of nanocomposites was found to be increased with graphene loading indicating the level of self-organization between the ILs and the graphene sheets in the matrix of the composite. The graphene nanocomposites were flexible and behave like ductile thermoplastics at room temperature. This study demonstrates the use of ionic liquid as a compatible agent to induce flexibility in inherently brittle thermoset materials and improve the dispersion of graphene to create high performance nanocomposite materials.

Highly sensitive determination of perphenazine on a carbon nanocomposite ionic liquid electrode

A multi-walled carbon nanotube–ionic liquid nanocomposite was fabricated for the electrochemical detection of perphenazine, suitable for the analysis of pharmaceuticals and blood serum samples.