Carbon Nanotube‐Adsorbed Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes of Nylon 6

Abstract

Summary: A simple and mass‐producible method was developed to densely assemble multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) onto electrospun nylon 6 nanofibrous membranes. The process consists of dispersing the acid‐treated MWNTs in surfactant solutions or organic solvents, and dipping the nanofibrous membranes in the resulting dispersion for only 60 seconds, followed by the extraction of the surfactants in pure water and drying. The conductivity of the MWNT‐adsorbed nanofibrous membranes ranges from 2.2 × 10−2 to 1.5 × 10−1 S · cm−1, as determined by the four probe method, which implies that the MWNTs are adsorbed uniformly and densely along the nanofibrous membranes. Furthermore, the results suggest that there is a strong interaction between the acid‐treated MWNTs and nylon 6. We also investigate the amount of MWNTs present in the membranes using thermogravimetric analysis.SEM images of the non‐woven fibrous nylon 6 membranes after dip‐coating in a dispersion of the MWNTs in surfactant‐containing water.imageSEM images of the non‐woven fibrous nylon 6 membranes after dip‐coating in a dispersion of the MWNTs in surfactant‐containing water.

Adsorption of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes on Electrospun Polycaprolacton Nanofibers

“…In order to disperse them in aqueous media, the SDS surfactants were used, which results a homogenous black ink like solutions after sonication. 12 It was observed that the color of the non-woven membranes changes from white to grey due to the presence of MWNTs. The MWNTs were adsorbed not only on the surface of the nanofibers, but also maintained the high porosity of the membranes.…”

“…The earlier studies have shown that CNTs have extremely high Young's moduli, similar to that of the in-plane value for graphite (~1 000 GPa). 12 The specific tensile strength of a single layer of a MWNT is 100 times higher than that of steel, and the graphene sheet (in-plane) is stiffer than diamond at low strain. Furthermore, due to their molecular molecular perfection, they are essentially free of defects.…”

“…It might be due to the high porosity of the membranes and the excellent wrapping of the polymers around the CNTs. 12 In our study we also dispersed MWNTs in water (contains a surfactant) by sonication and adsorbed them on the PCL electrospun nanofibers. The adsorbed MWNT nanofibers membranes not only shown the electrical properties, but also retain the inherent characteristics (like their high porosity and flexibility) of the nanofibrous membranes.…”

Incorporation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes on the surface of polystyrene microspheres via In Situ suspension polymerization

“…In Figures 1 and 2, the MWCNTs incorporated onto the S-PS/MWCNT microspheres were interconnected, leading to the formation of MWCNTs layers, and the MWCNTs network formed electrical pathways. 25 As mentioned previously, suspension polymerization could control the location of the MWCNTs incorporated into the microsphere because suspension polymerization consists of two phases at the first stage of polymerization and is initiated in the monomer droplet. If the MWCNTs were dispersed in the styrene monomer, the dispersed MWCNTs were well compounded with PS during polymerization, so that they could be located inside the microspheres (I-PS/MWCNT microspheres).…”

Transparent Thin Films of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Self‐Assembled on Polyamide 11 Nanofibers

“…MWNT Oxidation: In order to achieve a strong interaction between the MWNTs and the polyamide fibers, carboxyl groups were grafted on the MWNTs to allow hydrogen bonding, as suggested by Kim et al [24]. The carboxyl groups were created by an acid treatment following our previous work [25].…”