Mechanical, thermal and gas sensing properties of flexible multi-walled carbon nanotubes/waterborne polyurethane composite film

Abstract The uniform dispersion of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) in waterborne polyurethane (WPU) matrix was achieved by in-situ polymerization and latex particles assisted dispersion, endowing the MWNT/WPU composite film with the enhanced tensile strength, elongation at break and thermal stability. Compared with pure WPU, the breaking strength, elongation at break and initial decomposition temperature of the MWNT/WPU composite were increased by 69.6%, 16.4% and 130 °C, respectively. The decomposition amount at 400 °C of MWNT/WPU composite is only about half that of pure WPU. The latex particles assisted dispersion also effectively improved the exposure rate of MWNTs, making it easier for MWNTs to contact the target gas molecules. Increased exposure rate and uniform dispersion of MWNTs, and rich functional groups of WPU improved the gas sensing performance, making the response of the flexible MWNT/WPU to O3 be 4.1 times of the responses of pure MWNTs. The limit of detection for O3 reached 38.4 ppb. The enhanced mechanical properties endowed the flexible MWNT/WPU composite with the high bending stability and long-term stability. After one month, the response of the MWNT/WPU was changed by 3% and the responses decreased by no more than 10% after bending 5000 times.