A series of novel high‐temperature‐resistant multiwall carbon nanotubes dispersants: Polyphenylene sulfones with pyrene groups in main chain

Abstract

ABSTRACTA series of polyphenylene sulfones were synthesized with pyrene groups in the main chain. Using a traditional Suzuki coupling reaction followed by a reduction, the pyrene‐containing monomer was synthesized as the diphenol. A series of copolymers were synthesized using this new monomer, a biphenyldiphenol, and 4,4′‐difluorodiphenylsulfone. These polymers were characterized using 1HNMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The introduction of rigid pyrene groups provided these new polymers with good thermal stability and mechanical strength. In this work, these polymers are shown to functionalize and disperse multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The associations of our copolymers to the MWCNTs appear to operate through pi stacking interactions between the pyrene group and the sidewalls of the MWCNTs, referred to in this article as f‐MWCNTs. The dispersibility of f‐MWCNTs in solvents and polymer matrixes was systematically studied by preparation of f‐MWCNTs/polyphenylene sulfone (PPSU) composites with various f‐MWCNTs content. Improvements in the dispersability of f‐MWCNTs in PPSU resin result in enhancement of the mechanical and thermal properties of f‐MWCNTs/PPSU composites. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48379.