An improved understanding of the dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in non-aqueous solvents Li, Quanxiang, Church, Jeffrey S., Kafi, Abdullah, Naebe, Minoo and Fox, Bronwyn L. 2014, An improved understanding of the dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in non-aqueous solvents, Journal of nanoparticle research, vol. 16, no. 7, Article Number : 2513, pp. 1-12, doi: 10.1007/s11051-014-2513-0. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads Title An improved understanding of the dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in non-aqueous solvents Author(s) Li, Quanxiang Church, Jeffrey S. Kafi, Abdullah Naebe, Minoo orcid.org/0000-0002-0607-6327 Fox, Bronwyn L. Journal name Journal of nanoparticle research Volume number 16 Issue number 7 Season Article Number : 2513 Start page 1 End page 12 Total pages 12 Publisher Springer Place of publication Berlin, Germany Publication date 2014 ISSN 1388-0764 1572-896X Keyword(s) Centrifugation Multi-walled CNTs Non-aqueous dispersion Surfactant assisted Ultrasonication Science & Technology Physical Sciences Technology Chemistry, Multidisciplinary Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Materials Science, Multidisciplinary Chemistry Science & Technology - Other Topics Materials Science AQUEOUS DISPERSIONS RAMAN-SPECTROSCOPY ABSORPTION-SPECTROSCOPY IONIC LIQUIDS SURFACTANTS YARNS DNA FUNCTIONALIZATION COMPOSITES SEPARATION Summary The homogeneous and stable dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in solvents is often a prerequisite for their use in advanced materials. Dispersion procedures, reagent concentration as well as the interactions among reagent, defective CNTs and near-perfect CNTs will affect the resulting CNT dispersion properties. This study, for the first time, presents a detailed comparison between two different approaches for dispersing CNTs. The results enhance our understanding of the interactions between surfactant, defective CNTs and near-perfect CNTs and thus provide insight into the mechanism of CNT dispersion. Dispersions of "as-produced" short multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in N,N-dimethylformamide were prepared by two different surfactant (Triton X-100) assisted methods: ultrasonication and ultrasonication followed by centrifugation, decanting the supernatant and redispersing the precipitate. Visual observation and UV-visible spectroscopy results showed that the latter method produce a more stable dispersion with higher MWCNT content compared to dispersions produced by ultrasonication alone. Transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopic investigations revealed that the centrifugation/ decanting step removed highly defective nanotubes, amorphous carbon and excess surfactant from the readily re-dispersible near-perfect CNT precipitate. This is contrary to other published findings where the dispersed MWCNTs were found in the supernatant. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that 95 % of Triton X-100 was removed by centrifugation/decanting step, and the remainder of the Triton X-100 molecules is likely randomly adsorbed onto the MWCNT surface. Infrared spectral analysis suggests that the methylene groups of the polyoxyethylene (aliphatic ether) chains of the residual Triton X-100 molecules are interacting with the MWCNTs. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media. Language eng DOI 10.1007/s11051-014-2513-0 Field of Research 100708 Nanomaterials Socio Economic Objective 970109 Expanding Knowledge in Engineering HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal ERA Research output type C Journal article Copyright notice ©2014, Springer Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30070472 Document type: Journal Article Collections: Institute for Frontier Materials GTP Research Related Links Link Description Connect to Elements publication management system Go to link with your DU access privileges   Connect to published version Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Versions Version Filter Type Tue, 10 Mar 2015, 13:49:32 EST Wed, 11 Mar 2015, 04:07:23 EST Wed, 11 Mar 2015, 07:16:17 EST Thu, 26 Mar 2015, 10:35:52 EST Thu, 26 Mar 2015, 10:36:52 EST Fri, 24 Apr 2015, 06:08:02 EST Fri, 24 Apr 2015, 13:22:28 EST Fri, 24 Apr 2015, 13:23:41 EST Wed, 13 May 2015, 15:49:59 EST Thu, 28 May 2015, 15:12:20 EST Thu, 28 May 2015, 15:14:11 EST Fri, 29 Jan 2016, 07:39:27 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 18 times in TR Web of Science Cited 27 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 740 Abstract Views, 4 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Tue, 10 Mar 2015, 13:49:32 EST