Influence of different oxidation treatment on properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are functionalized to improve their dispersions in solvents and polymeric matrix andexpanding their applications. Acidic oxidation is common and useful method to functionalize CNTs. This work examines theeffect of reflux and ultrasonic methods on carboxylic content, morphology and dispersion of CNTs in distillated water andmethanol solvents. Two experiments were conducted using H2SO4/HNO3 (3:1 v/v, both of them 8M) solution. In the firstexperiment reflux and ultrasonic were used and in second one only ultrasonic was applied. SEM images was used to observeCNTs morphology. Titration and suspention of oxidized CNTs in distillated water and methanol revealed that reflux is moreappropriate to generate functional groups and uniform suspension.

Keywords:

Carbon nanotubes , Acidic oxidation , Reflux , Ultrasonic