In this work the thermal behavior with the glass transition of phenyl-C 61 -butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and their blends was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Both TGA and DSC measurements show that PCBM contains around 1% residual solvent in the crystalline structure. The glass transition of PCBM, P3HT and their blends was determined by quenching techniques. The quenched state of the materials has a strong effect on the glass transition of the materials, especially in the case of PCBM. In all blend compositions only one glass transition temperature was found. These results indicate that PCBM and P3HT are thermodynamically miscible in all blend compositions.

In this work the surface modification and functionalization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were investigated. CNTs were firstly treated by acid mixture H2SO4/HNO3 to introduce the carboxylic group onto the surface of CNTs. This carboxylic group was used as reaction precursor in the functionalization. Two functional groups, dodecylamine (DDA) and 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (3-APTES), were successfully covalently attached to CNTs. The functionalized CNTs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis (DSC/TGA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods. The CNTs attached to the organofunctional moieties have greater versatility for further utilization in different application fields such as biology, nanocomposites, solar energy, etc.

The rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) filled with organoclay cloisite 20A and expandable graphite (EG) were prepared by the one-step expanding foam method. Flame behavior, mechanical properties, and thermal conductivity of the composites were investigated. The vertical burning test (UL-94V) and limiting oxygen index (LOI) showed that the flame retardancy was increased proportionally with the content of EG in PU composite. However, the presence of EG filler impaired the thermal insulation and the compressive strength of the composite. In this report, we proved that organoclay could improve the compressive strength, thermal insulation, and flame retardancy of EG/polyurethane composites. This work can contribute to the development of environment-friendly flame-retardant products for green growth.

The charge-transport phenomena of organic conjugated materials have been intensively investigated because of the potential applications of these materials in electronics and optoelectronics. Among these applications, organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) fabricated from either thin films or well-defined single crystals as charge-transporting layers are the most promising electronic devices. In this work, the effect of molecular packing on the performance of OFETs is investigated through the fabrication and characterization of devices based on zinc(II) porphyrins TPZ and TBPZ. The field-effect mobility of the transistors is found to increase with decreasing intermolecular distance, attributable to greater overlap of π orbitals among closepacked molecules and thereby enhance the charge transport.

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