Preparation and Characterization of Carbon Nanotube/Polyacrylonitrile Composites

The incorporation of carbon nanotubes in polymer matrices should lead to composites with unique properties. It is thus tempting to use NT for mechanical reinforcement and to obtain new materials with unusual mechanical properties. However, the ultimate performance of such materials is expected to depend strongly on their ability to transfer load from the host matrix to the nanotubes. The authors here report a method to prepare polyacrylonitrile-based composites with well-dispersed multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT). It turns out that carbon nanotube/polyacrylonitrile composite films can be obtained with a good dispersion of the MWNTs in the polymeric matrix and without alteration of their respective structure.