Dispersion Prediction of Carbon Nanotubes in an Aqueous Solution Using Optical Spectroscopy Techniques

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are nano-sized particles with high strength, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity. Research is being conducted to improve their mechanical and electrical properties by mixing with various materials to utilize these properties. However, CNTs are difficult to effectively utilize because they agglomerate with each other in an inorganic solvent such as an aqueous solution and are not well dispersed. These characteristics differ depending on the surface properties of CNTs. Therefore, this study analyzed the effect of the surface properties of CNTs on their dispersion in water, and optical spectroscopy techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy were introduced for predicting the dispersion of CNTs in an aqueous solution. Comparing four CNTs with different surface properties in this process confirmed that the CNT that was modified with a hydroxyl group and had no amorphous defects was well dispersed in an aqueous solution.