Pine Needle-like Nanocomposite: Supercritical CO2 Assisted Polythiophene Synthesis on Carbon Nanotubes

A facile method was successfully developed to prepare a "pine needle-like" nanocomposite of carbon nanotubes/polythiophene(CNTs/PTh) in ethanol with the assistance of supercritical CO2(SC CO2). The experiment conditions such as mass ratio of thiophene monomer to carbon nanotubes, reaction temperature, and reaction time were optimized, and the morphology and thickness of PTh layers on CNTs were hence effectively controlled. The results of Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectra(XPS) and Raman spectra indicate the pi-pi interactions between PTh and CNT. A possible formation mechanism about the unique microstructure was suggested by virtue of the morphological evolution of the nanocomposite. As a facile, environment benign, and adjustable method, the proposed method holds great potential in the preparation of functional hybrid nanocomposites with the help of SC CO2, which will be promising in the fields of nanofabrication and electrochemical device preparation.