Analysis of Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes in m-Cresol

Jaegyun Im; Dong-Myeong Lee; Jaegeun Lee

doi:10.3390/ma15113777

Analysis of Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes in m-Cresol

Materials (Basel). 2022 May 25;15(11):3777. doi: 10.3390/ma15113777.

Authors

Jaegyun Im¹, Dong-Myeong Lee², Jaegeun Lee^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical Engineering, Pusan National University, 2 Busandaehak-ro 63 beon-gil, Geumjeong-gu, Busan 46241, Korea.
² Institute of Advanced Composite Materials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 92 Chudong-ro, Bongdong-eup, Wanju-gun 55324, Korea.
³ Department of Organic Material Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, 2 Busandaehak-ro 63 beon-gil, Geumjeong-gu, Busan 46241, Korea.

Abstract

We analyzed the dispersion state of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in m-cresol using dispersion stability analysis, optical microscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The high dispersion stability of CNT/m-cresol dispersion was observed when it was sufficiently treated with ultrasonication. Despite the high dispersion stability, optical microscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy analysis of various CNT/m-cresol dispersions revealed that CNT bundles in m-cresol were not dispersed into individual CNTs. We also propose that the blue-shift of the G peak of CNTs in m-cresol in the Raman spectrum, which had been reported as evidence of the formation of the charge-transfer complex between m-cresol and CNTs, is rather attributed to the interference of m-cresol's inherent peak at around 1600 cm^-1.

Keywords: carbon nanotube; dispersion; m-cresol.

Grants and funding

2-Year Research Grant/Pusan National University