Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Polyimide Composites

• Main Authors: Burcu Oktay, Sevil Türker, Sevim Karataş, Nilhan Apohan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Turkish Chemical Society 2018-01-01
• Series: Journal of the Turkish Chemical Society, Section A: Chemistry
• Subjects: Polyimide; carbon nanotube
• Online Access: http://dergipark.gov.tr/jotcsa/issue/31055/345015

Polyimides have a wide range of uses such as aerospace industry fuel cell applications, optic, and electronic materials industry due to their outstanding thermal, mechanical and chemical properties. In this study, it was aimed to prepare composite polyimide films with amine tethered multi-walled-carbon nanotube (MWCNT). Firstly, to produce amine functional groups onto the surface of MWNCTs, MWCNTs were reacted with H2SO4/HNO3, thionyl chloride, and ethylenediamine, respectively. Then the polyamic acid solution was prepared from BTDA and ODA. The functionalized carbon nanotube was added to the PAA solutions with a certain amount (1%, 3%, 4%, 5% and 6%wt.) and followed by stepwise thermal imidization. The thermal stability of the composite polyimide films was enhanced with the addition of modified-carbon nanotube since the covalent interaction between polyimide-based matrix and modified-carbon nanotube happened by the imidization reaction. In addition, the mechanical properties of the films were improved.