Influence of Protonic Ionic Liquid on the Dispersion of Carbon Nanotube in PLA/EVA Blends and Blend Compatibilization

Abstract

In this work, immiscible poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(ethylene vinyl acetate) (EVA) composites with 1 phr of multi-walled carbon nanotube (CNT) and different concentration of protonic-based imidazolium ionic liquid (mimbSO 3 H•Cl) were prepared. The protonic ionic liquid (IL) was able to act as dispersing agent for CNT and as compatibilizing agent for the PLA/EVA blend. The multicomponent nanocomposites from the mixture of PLA and EVA containing CNT functionalized with ionic liquid, IL (CNT/ILSO 3 H) were characterized by mechanical and dynamic-mechanical (DMA) tests, electrical conductivity analyses, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction analysis and rheological measurements, as well as chromatographic gel permeation (GPC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The non-covalent functionalization CNT resulted in composites with outstanding electrical and dielectric properties. The high dispersion of CNT promoted by the IL resulted in the formation of a physical networked structure, which was responsible for the higher electrical conductivity and higher melt viscosity. The crystallization process of PLA phase was improved with the presence of CNT/ILSO 3 H. The degradation process during the transesterification reaction did not significantly affect the mechanical properties. The present work highlights the dual role of the IL as compatibilizing and dispersing agent and opens new perspectives for developing new conducting systems with low percolation threshold based on the good dispersion of CNT and the confinement of the filler within a phase of a multiphasic polymeric system.

Fabrication and characterization of piezoresistive flexible pressure sensors based on poly(vinylidene fluoride)/thermoplastic polyurethane filled with carbon black‐polypyrrole

“…Rheology studies are useful to evaluate polymer systems in order to understand the interactions between the components of a polymeric blend, as well as the dispersion and formation of a three dimensional network of the filler in the matrix. 17,18,34 In order to investigate the structural changes in the polymeric composites, rheological analysis was carried out in the molten state for neat PVDF, neat TPU, PVDF/TPU 50/50 wt% and PVDF/ TPU/CB-PPy composites with various filler content. The storage modulus (G 0 ) curves as function of frequency for neat PVDF, neat TPU and PVDF/TPU are displayed in Figure 3A and the dependence of complex viscosity (η*) with frequency in Figure 3B.…”

Effect of ionic liquid modified carbon nanotubes on the properties of nitrile butadiene rubber and nitrile butadiene latex nanocomposites

“…This was caused by the fact that NBR was solid, but NBRL was a dilute emulsion mixture of NBR with water and emulsifier. 2,29 On the one hand, with the addition of water, the fluidity of NBRL was improved, which decreases the dispersion resistance of IL-MWCNT compared to NBR. On the other hand, the surface tension of water allows the stable presence of IL-MWCNT in NBRL in spatial locations, which improves the uniformity of dispersion.…”

“…It was believed that the dilution and plasticizing effect of IL in rubber caused a decrease in hardness. 29 On the one hand, since IL has the plasticizing effect, it makes the rubber matrix realize the transition from solid to high elasticity state and then to a viscous flow state, which reduces the hardness of the composite. On the other hand, since IL is liquid, it has a diluting effect on the composite, which makes the intermolecular chain slip easier and shows a reduction in hardness.…”

A Brief Review on the Influence of Ionic Liquids on the Mechanical, Thermal, and Chemical Properties of Biodegradable Polymer Composites

“…This is due to their biodegradability, renewability, economy, and availability [15]. On the other hand, inorganic materials, such as multiwalled carbon nanotubes [16][17][18][19] graphene oxide [20,21] graphene [22,23] layered double hydroxide [24][25][26][27] montmorillonite [28,29] ammonium polyphosphate [30] and zinc oxide [31] have been used as inorganic fillers. Figure 1 shows the chemical structures of cellulose, starch, chitin, multiwalled carbon nanotubes, graphene oxide, and ammonium polyphosphate.…”