Dispersion and testing of single-walled carbon nanotubes

• Main Author: Ang, Mei Ping
• Other Authors: Wang Kean
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Nanotechnology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/39859
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess exceptional mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. They are thermally stable up to 2800oC in vacuum and have thermal conductivity about twice as high as diamond. They exhibit electric current carrying capacity 1000 times higher than copper wires. The properties of CNTs depend on the atomic arrangement, diameter, length and morphology of the tubes. There are 2 types of CNTs, namely the single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) and the multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs) [1]. Due to the intrinsic insoluble nature of CNTs in most solvents, it is difficult to achieve a uniform distribution of SWCNTs. To achieve a good dispersion of CNTs, it is important that the dispersing medium is able to wet the hydrophobic tube surfaces and modify the tube surfaces to minimize tube aggregation. In the project, nitrogen adsorption is used to characterize CNTs as pristine, dispersed and recoagulated CNTs can be differentiated due to their different pore sizes. CNTs can be characterized based on their BET surface area and pore size distribution.