Molecular mobility of free‐radical‐functionalized carbon‐nanotube/siloxane/poly(urea urethane) nanocomposites

Abstract

AbstractMultiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were functionalized by a free‐radical reaction of vinyltriethoxysilane and were blended with poly(urea urethane) (PUU) containing poly(dimethylsiloxane) as a soft segment. PUU was end‐capped with aminopropyltriethoxysilane (A‐silane) or phenyltriethoxysilane (P‐silane).A‐silane‐end‐capped PUU was covalently bonded to functionalized MWNTs, whereas P‐silane‐end‐capped PUU was noncovalently bonded to pristine MWNTs by a π–π interaction. Fourier transform infrared, Raman spectra, and thermogravimetric analysis confirmed the functionalization of MWNTs. The results showed that the optimal reaction time of the functionalization of MWNT was 8 h, and the organic content of the modified carbon nanotubes reached 35.22%. Solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance and dynamic mechanical analysis were used to investigate the molecular structure and molecular mobility of the carbon‐nanotube/PUU nanocomposites. A‐silane PUU covalently bonded to MWNTs showed a considerable reduction in the molecular motion of the soft segment, which led to the glass‐transition temperature decreasing from −117 to −127 °C as MWNTs were incorporated. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 6084–6094, 2005