Polymer assisted dispersion and alignment of carbon nanotubes

Bundled double-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNT and MWNT) are effectively dispersed under a long-time sonication in the presence of polystyrene (PS) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), by the means of non-covalent functionalization. FTIR and Raman reveals an interactions between CNTs and polymers, and the helical wrapping is clearly observed by HRTEM. By dint of template with nanopores and the method of CNT "planting" on substrate, we have achieved post-growth assembly of the dispersed CNTs in soft polymer matrices. Through polymer assisting, the polymer modified individual MWNTs could form vertically aligned MWNT arrays. Moreover, these methods also provide new ways of making new forms of CNT/polymer composite nanostructures with extraordinary properties.