Non-modified Carbon Nanotubes Research Articles

Effect of Modified and Nonmodified Carbon Nanotubes on the Rheological Behavior of High Density Polyethylene Nanocomposite

This paper reports the results of studies on the rheological behavior of nanocomposites of high density polyethylene (HDPE) with pristine multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNT) as well as phenol and 1‐octadecanol (C18) functionalized CNT at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 wt% loading. The viscosity reduction at 1 wt% CNT follows the order, pristine CNT < phenol functionalized CNT < C18 functionalized CNT. As the filler loading increases from 1 to 2, 3, and 4 wt%, neat HDPE and filled HDPE systems show similar moduli and viscosity, particularly in the low frequency region. As the filler loading increases further to 5 and 7 wt%, the viscosity and moduli become greater than the neat HDPE. The storage modulus, tanδ, and the Cole‐Cole plots show that CNT network formation occurs at higher CNT loading. The critical CNT loading or the rheological percolation threshold, where network formation occurs is found to be strongly dependant on the functionalization of CNT. For pristine CNT, the rheological percolation threshold is around 4 wt%, but for functionalized CNT it is around 7 wt%. The surface morphologies of CNT and functionalized CNT at 1 wt% loading showed good dispersion while at 7 wt% loading, dispersion was also achieved, but there are few regions with agglomeration of CNT.

Biosafety of Non-Surface Modified Carbon Nanocapsules as a Potential Alternative to Carbon Nanotubes for Drug Delivery Purposes

BackgroundCarbon nanotubes (CNTs) have found wide success in circuitry, photovoltaics, and other applications. In contrast, several hurdles exist in using CNTs towards applications in drug delivery. Raw, non-modified CNTs are widely known for their toxicity. As such, many have attempted to reduce CNT toxicity for intravenous drug delivery purposes by post-process surface modification. Alternatively, a novel sphere-like carbon nanocapsule (CNC) developed by the arc-discharge method holds similar electric and thermal conductivities, as well as high strength. This study investigated the systemic toxicity and biocompatibility of different non-surface modified carbon nanomaterials in mice, including multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), carbon nanocapsules (CNCs), and C60 fullerene (C60). The retention of the nanomaterials and systemic effects after intravenous injections were studied.Methodology and Principal FindingsMWCNTs, SWCNTs, CNCs, and C60 were injected intravenously into FVB mice and then sacrificed for tissue section examination. Inflammatory cytokine levels were evaluated with ELISA. Mice receiving injection of MWCNTs or SWCNTs at 50 µg/g b.w. died while C60 injected group survived at a 50% rate. Surprisingly, mortality rate of mice injected with CNCs was only at 10%. Tissue sections revealed that most carbon nanomaterials retained in the lung. Furthermore, serum and lung-tissue cytokine levels did not reveal any inflammatory response compared to those in mice receiving normal saline injection.ConclusionCarbon nanocapsules are more biocompatible than other carbon nanomaterials and are more suitable for intravenous drug delivery. These results indicate potential biomedical use of non-surface modified carbon allotrope. Additionally, functionalization of the carbon nanocapsules could further enhance dispersion and biocompatibility for intravenous injection.

Influence of fiber-like nanofillers on the rheological, mechanical, thermal and fire properties of polypropylene: An application to multifilament yarn

Polypropylene and polypropylene grafted maleic anhydride based composites with modified and non-modified carbon nanotubes and sepiolite were prepared by melt extrusion. Their thermal, rheological, and dynamic mechanical properties were evaluated. Multifilament yarns were obtained from the composites by spin-drawing process and their mechanical properties were measured. Knitted fabrics from the multifilament yarns were characterized by cone calorimetry. The best interaction was obtained for polypropylene/carbon nanotubes and polypropylene/polypropylene grafted maleic anhydride/sepiolite composites, as was confirmed by the increasing on the elastic modulus and thermal resistance. Nanofillers changed the thermal decomposition profiles compared to bare polypropylene. Knitted structures containing sepiolite decrease the maximum of heat release rate in comparison with unfilled samples.

Removal of Chromium (III) from Water by Using Modified and Nonmodified Carbon Nanotubes

This study was carried out to evaluate the environmental application of modified and nonmodified carbon nanotubes through the experiment removal of chromium trivalent (III) from water. The aim was to find the optimal condition of the chromium (III) removal from water under different treatment conditions of pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time and agitation speed. Multi wall carbon nanotubes (MW‐CNTs) were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The diameter of the carbon nanotubes produced varied from 20–40 nm with average diameter of 24 nm and 10 micrometer in length. Adsorption isotherms were used to model the adsorption behavior and to calculate the adsorption capacity of the absorbents. The results showed that, 18% of chromium (III) removal was achieved using modified carbon nanotubes (M‐CNTs) at pH 7, 150 rpm, and 2 hours for a dosage of 150 mg of CNTs. The removal of Cr (III) is mainly attributed to the affinity of chromium (III) to the physical and chemical properties of the CNTs. The adsorption isotherms plots were well fitted with experimental data.

Pyrene-containing polystyrene segmented copolymer from nitroxide mediated polymerization and its application for the noncovalent functionalization of as-prepared multiwalled carbon nanotubes

This study reports simple and convenient procedures for the preparation of a novel surface modifier for multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) having uniform and controlled structure through controlled “living” free-radical polymerization technique. The technique afforded pyrene functionalized polystyrene block copolymers (PMAS) having controlled molecular weight, molecular weight distribution and length of each block for effective surface modification of CNTs. The modified CNTs exhibited much improved and stable dispersion in toluene. PMAS–CNT/polystyrene composites afforded clearer and more homogeneous films compared to those containing non-modified CNTs. The polystyrene films containing 2 wt% and 5 wt% of PMAS–CNTs showed improved AC conductivities of approximately 10 −3 and 10 −2 S/cm, respectively, which were 10 ∼ 10 6 times higher than those of films containing non-modified CNTs. These results demonstrated that PMAS effectively modified the surface of CNTs, which resulted in improved dispersion of CNTs in polystyrene matrices.