Preparation and Applicability of Vinyl Alcohol Group Containing Polymer/MWNT Nanocomposite Using a Simple Saponification Method

Abstract

Polymer nanocomposites are increasingly desirable as coating, packaging, filtering and structural materials in a wide range of aerospace, automobiles, membrane, and electrical engineering applications [Mai and Yu, 2006; Ray and Bousmina, 2008]. This is due to our increased ability to analyze, synthesize, and manipulate a broad range of nanofillers and significant investment by laboratories and research centers in industry, government, and academia. In addition, polymers possess general advantages of low cost, lightweight, design flexibility, easy processing, and corrosion resistance. The polymer nanocomposites are one kind of composite materials comprising of nanometer-sized particles, typically at least one dimension less than 100 nm, which are uniformly dispersed in and fixed to a polymer matrix. In this way, the nanoparticles are acting like additives to enhance performance and thus are also termed nanofillers or nano-inclusions [Ramanathan et. al., 2007; Vaisman et. al. 2007]. The nanofillers can be plate-like, high aspect ratio nanotubes, and lower aspect ratio or equiaxed nanoparticles. Frequently employed inorganic nanofillers include metals and metal oxides, semiconductors, clay minerals, and carbon-based materials such like carbon blacks, carbon fibers, graphite and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). CNTs have received much attention for their unique structural, mechanical, and electronic properties as well as their broad range of potential applications [Kim and Park, 2008; Kang et al. 2008; Xu et. al., 2008; Kumar, 2002; Wong et al., 1998]. CNTs are cylinder-shaped macromolecules with a radius as small as a few nanometers, which can be grown up to 20 cm in length [Zhu et. al., 2002]. Their properties depend on the atomic arrangement, chirality, diameter, and length of the tube and the overall morphology. They exist in one of two structural forms, single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) or multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT). SWNTs are best described as a 2-D graphene sheet rolled into a tube with pentagonal rings as end caps [Harris, 2004]. SWNTs have aspect ratios of 1000 or more and an approximate diameter of 1 nm. Similarly, MWNTs can be described as multiple