Effect of Molecular Weight on the Electrophoretic Deposition of Carbon Black Nanoparticles in Moderately Viscous Systems

Abstract

Electrophoretic deposition from viscous media has the potential to produce in-mold assembly of nanoparticles onto three-dimensional parts in high-rate, polymer melt-based processes like injection molding. The effects of the media's molecular weight on deposition behavior were investigated using a model system of carbon black and polystyrene in tetrahydrofuran. Increases in molecular weight reduced the electrophoretic deposition of the carbon black particles due to increases in suspension viscosity and preferential adsorption of the longer polystyrene chains on the carbon black particles. At low deposition times (≤5 s), only carbon black deposited onto the electrodes, but the deposition decreased with increasing molecular weight and the resultant increases in suspension viscosity. For longer deposition times, polystyrene codeposited with the carbon black, with the amount of polystyrene increasing with molecular weight and decreasing with greater charge on the polystyrene molecules. This deposition behavior suggests that use of lower molecular polymers and control of electrical properties will permit electrophoretic deposition of nanoparticles from polymer melts for high-rate, one-step fabrication of nano-optical devices, biochemical sensors, and nanoelectronics.