ESR Investigations on Polyethylene–Fluorine Functionalized Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes Composites

Abstract

Electron spin resonance investigations on nanocomposites obtained by dispersing fluorinated single walled carbon nanotubes within polyethylene are reported. Three resonance lines assigned to uncoupled electronic spins confined within magnetic impurities, amorphous carbon, and single wall carbon nanotubes have been observed. The temperature dependence of these lines is analyzed in detail and used to assign each component of the as-recorded ESR spectrum to a precise component of the nanocomposite. Magnetic impurities are originating from catalysts residues (in our case, Fe impurities). Surprisingly, the narrowest line is due to paramagnetic defects (amorphous carbon) while the broad line originates from electrons delocalized over conducting nanotubes. The broadening of this line reflects a bottleneck in the relaxation mechanism, triggered by the interaction of the uncoupled electrons localized on carbon nanotubes with the magnetic impurities.