Additive-free carbon nanotube dispersions, pastes, gels, and doughs in cresols

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Kevin ChiouJiaxing Huang

Abstract

Cresols are a group of naturally occurring and massively produced methylphenols with broad use in the chemical industry. Here, we report that m-cresol and its liquid mixtures with other isomers are surprisingly good solvents for processing carbon nanotubes. They can disperse carbon nanotubes of various types at unprecedentedly high concentrations of tens of weight percent, without the need for any dispersing agent or additive. Cresols interact with carbon nanotubes by charge transfer through the phenolic hydroxyl proton and can be removed after processing by evaporation or washing, without altering the surface of carbon nanotubes. Cresol solvents render carbon nanotubes polymer-like rheological and viscoelastic properties and processability. As the concentration of nanotubes increases, a continuous transition of four states can be observed, including dilute dispersion, thick paste, free-standing gel, and eventually a kneadable, playdough-like material. As demonstrated with a few proofs of concept, cresols make powders of agglomerated carbon nanotubes immediately usable by a broad array of material-processing techniques to create desirable structures and form factors and make their polymer composites.

References

May 13, 2004·Journal of the American Chemical Society·C A FurtadoPeter C Eklund
Nov 7, 2009·Nature Nanotechnology·Virginia A DavisMatteo Pasquali
Feb 2, 2013·Science·Michael F L De VolderA John Hart
Oct 6, 2016·Chemical Reviews·LePing YuJoseph Shapter

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Citations

May 21, 2019·Advanced Materials·Binghao Wang, Antonio Facchetti
Jan 27, 2019·Nature Communications·Che-Ning YehJiaxing Huang
May 4, 2021·Advanced Materials·Peng WangYuHuang Wang
Jun 11, 2021·ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·Shuiliang WangKehang Cui
Jan 24, 2020·ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·Junpyo KwonTing Xu
Sep 28, 2021·Dalton Transactions : an International Journal of Inorganic Chemistry·Simon WernerJörg Sundermeyer

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