Polymers Nanotubes

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Polymers!!!Nanotubes!!!

• Matt Montgomery
• Kris Behler, Mentor
• Dr. Yuri Gogotsi, Advisor

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Objective

• Electrically conductive micro-fibers

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Electrospinning
http//www.che.vt.edu/Wilkes/electrospinning/Slide
1.JPG
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Concentrations

• Polymer ( 30)
• Solvent ( 70)
• Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes
  ( 0.1 to 0.02)

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PVDF pellets

• Polymer
• (PVDF Polyvinylidene-fluoride)
• Solvent
• (DMA Dimethyl-aniline)
• (DMF Dimethyl-formamide)

Our solutions
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• Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Average diameter between 10 and 20 nanometers
TEM image
Computer model of MWCNT
www.thomas-swan.co.uk/ pages/nano_images.html
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Problems

• Solubility of PVDF
• Viscosity / Solidification
• Nanotube dispersal

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Our electrospinningapparatus
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Fibers

• Do they contain carbon nanotubes?
• Are they more conductive?

More of our fibers
Our electrospun fibers
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Raman Spectroscopy

• Standard carbon nanotube signature

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Carbon nanotubes successfully embedded in PVDF!

• Raman Spectra shows characteristic peaks
• 1330 cm-1 D-band
• 1430 cm-1 PVDF peak
• 1584 cm-1 G-Band

? 633 nm, 500x mag, 500sec
Slide courtesy of Kris Behler
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Research continues.