A convenient route to disperse pristine carbon nanotubes in polystyrene with no damage of nanotube electronic structure

Abstract

A convenient route to prepare polystyrene (PS)/pristine carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposite was developed; its electronic structure and electrical conductivity were also studied. Using their well-dispersed system in N-methyl-2-pyrrolodone, pristine multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs), without any surface organo-modification, were greatly debundled and uniformly dispersed in PS matrix via a simple solution blending procedure. The dispersion structure of the prepared PS/pristine MWCNT nanocomposite was confirmed by scanning electron microscope and laser scanning confocal microscopic images. Moreover, Raman spectroscopy indicated that this method could effectively preserve the electronic structure of the pristine CNTs in the prepared nanocomposite, and the PS/pristine MWCNT nanocomposite showed greatly enhanced electrical conductivity. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.