Synthesis and Characterization of Amphiphilic Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Based on Linear Triblock Copolymer

Amphiphilic multiwalled carbon nanotubes PMAA-g-MWCNT-g-PSt were prepared by grafting linear triblock copolymer PtBMA100-b-PGMA19-b-PSt101 onto the carboxyl multiwalled carbon nanotubes surface with an oxirane cleavage reaction. The ratio of intensity between D band and G band and the shifting of these bands in Raman spectroscopy showed good agreement with fourier transform infrared spectroscopy especially the appearance of the characteristic group of benzene ring at 673 cm-1 for PMAA-g-MWCNT-g-PSt. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the contents of polymer grafted on the surface of carboxyl multiwalled carbon nanotubes were 36 % and 55 % for PMAA-g-MWCNT-g-PSt and PtBMA-g-MWCNTs-g-PDMAEMA, respectively. The introduction of the cinnamic group into PtBMA100-b-PGMA19-b-PSt101 induced the activation energy of PMAA-g-MWCNT-g-PSt much higher than that of PtBMA-g-MWCNTs-g-PDMAEMA after 238 oC during their thermal decompositions.