(Invited) Aggregation State of Carbon Nanotubes in Solution

Because of their superior mechanical, optical, thermal and electrical properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been paid particular attention since their discovery. Although much progress has been made so far, it is widely recognized that the bottleneck for applications is to prepare the homogeneous dispersion of CNTs. Indeed the functionality of a wide range of applications depends on the individual CNTs rather than the CNT bundles. The evaluation of dispersion states of CNTs in solutions has therefore been one of the serious issues in the CNT community. Here we examine the dispersion and the aggregation states of (CNTs) solution by the several characterization techniques such as a centrifuge sedimentation analysis. The estimated particle size and distribution will be discussed as compared to the physical properties of the composite materials.

 

This paper is based on results obtained from a project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).