Investigation of the Influence of CNT Functionalization on Dispersion Quality and Stability

Dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNT) in any solvents and/or polymers is essential to utilize the full pontential of the CNTs. Effective dispersion of CNTs is still a challenging aspect because of the van-der-Waals force of attraction between the CNTs, which tend to rebundle and/or reaggregate. Compared to physical dispersion techniques, such as solution mixing, sonication and mechanical stirring, chemical functionalization of carbon nanotubes that involves acid treatment and physiochemical method are promising approaches, which enhances the dispersion quality as well as stability. This paper presents a brief analysis of the influence of functionalization of CNT on dispersion quality and stability. Solvents such as isopropanol and ethylacetate have been used as dispersion media and the dispersions have been characterized by UV-VIS spectroscopy analysis. The investigation results shows that, physiochemical method exhibits better dispersion quality and stability compared to that of acid treatment method.