Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes Through Amphiphilic Block Copolymers: Rheological and Dielectrical Characterizations of Poly(ethylene oxide) Composites

In this article, we report on some properties of polymer nanocomposites prepared from dispersions of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNT) in aqueous solution prepared using amphiphilic block copolymers. These nanocomposites are made of polyethylene oxide as matrix and CNT wrapped with copolymers as fillers. We investigated the rheological and electrical behavior of such composites with the objectives of underlined the effect of wrapping. Two rheological and only one electrical percolation thresholds have been observed and related to polymer-CNT and CNT-CNT networks. The low values of these percolation thresholds agree with a homogeneous dispersion of CNT in the matrix. We also demonstrated that specific wrapping may induce an increase of electrical conductivity without affecting too much the viscosity of the melt. POLYM. COMPOS., 33: 1-9, 2012. (C) 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers