Research on the Dispersion Stability of Aligned Carbon Nanotubes

The alignment of carbon nanotubes in composite materials can make the materials anisotropic. This characteristic has drawn a lot of attention recently. This paper examined the stability properties and working lifetime of carbon nanotube suspensions containing highly aligned multi-walled carbon nanotube bundles. Suspensions were made using temperature-controlled and non-temperature-controlled ultrasonic dispersion of aligned carbon nanotubes in solvent. The absorbance of carbon nanotube suspensions was measured employing UV-visible spectrophotometry. The increased stability due to various surfactants (dispersion agents) (SDBS / oleic acid / polymer) was also studied. Results were compared with suspensions made with conventional multi-walled carbon nanotubes.