Dispersion of Boron Nitride Nanotubes by Pluronic Triblock Copolymer in Aqueous Solution.

Sang-Woo Jeon,Shin-Hyun Kang,Tae-Hwan Kim,Jung Choi

doi:10.3390/polym11040582

Sang-Woo Jeon, Shin-Hyun Kang + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11040582

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Journal: Polymers	Publication Date: Apr 1, 2019
Citations: 7	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Jeonbuk National University

Abstract

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) have been of interest for their excellent thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties, and they have a broad spectrum of potential applications, such as in piezoelectric materials, reinforcement of materials, and electrothermal insulation materials. For practical use of BNNTs, it is desirable to disperse them in aqueous solution, which improves convenience of handling. However, it is still difficult to make a homogenous and stable BNNT dispersion in aqueous solution, due to their strong van der Waals interactions and hydrophobic surface. To solve these problems, we used Pluronic P85 and F127, which have both hydrophilic groups and hydrophobic groups. Here, we report the wrapped structure of a Pluronic polymer-BNNT dispersion by using small-angle neutron scattering, UV–Vis spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and atomic force microscopy.

Highlights

We did not observe any rod shapes in the atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements when the polymer-Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) mixture was sonicated for 1 h, indicating that the BNNTs were broken by the ultrasonication after a long time
UV–Vis measurements, measurements, we we determined determined optimal optimal conditions conditions for the preparation of polymer-BNNT dispersions, and the resulting dispersions were stable for long times
The prepared BNNT dispersions contained about 5 wt % of BNNT in water, which was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements

Summary

Introduction

BNNTs have excellent mechanical [4,5,6], thermal [7] and electronic properties [8], making them highly applicable to nano- and bio-fields such as in electrically insulating thermally conductive materials [9,10,11], reinforcing composites [12,13], piezoelectric materials [14], and boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) materials [15,16]. It is very important to disperse BNNTs, and to understand the dispersibility of BNNTs, in aqueous solution, which provides easy solvent processing in practical applications and fundamental information about the preparation of BNNT dispersions in any solution

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Results

Conclusion