In Situ Interfacial Polymerization: A Technique for Rapid Formation of Highly Loaded Carbon Nanotube-Polymer Composites

Cécile A.C. Chazot; Carolyn K. Jons; A. John Hart

doi:10.1002/adfm.202005499

In Situ Interfacial Polymerization: A Technique for Rapid Formation of Highly Loaded Carbon Nanotube-Polymer Composites

Cécile A.C. Chazot, Carolyn K. Jons, A. John Hart^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Materials Science and Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

Composites of polymers and organized carbon nanotube (CNT) networks have been proposed as next-generation lightweight structural materials, yet polymer infiltration of CNT networks often results in stress-concentrating heterogeneities, due to local CNT aggregation or incomplete infiltration. Herein, it is demonstrated that dense CNT-polymer composites with tailored polymer distribution can be obtained by interfacial polymerization (IP), performed in situ within CNT networks. Three regimes of the in situ interfacial polymerization (ISIP) process are identified: a reaction-limited regime where the polymer forms beads on the CNTs; a uniformly-filled regime with polymer throughout the CNT network; and a transport-limited regime with polymer only near the outer surface of the network. Uniform polyamide-CNT composite sheets obtained by this method have a Young's modulus of 31 GPa and a tensile strength of 776 MPa, which is a two-fold increase compared to the pristine CNT sheets. Premature failure of the composites is attributed to large voids in the pristine CNT sheets, suggesting that further improved mechanical properties can be achieved with a more homogeneous CNT network. Nevertheless, the rapid rate and overall controllability of ISIP suggest its viability for formation of polymers within CNT networks via roll-to-roll methods.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	2005499
Journal	Advanced Functional Materials
Volume	30
Issue number	52
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202005499
State	Published - Dec 22 2020

Funding

Financial support was provided by the NASA Space Technology Research Institute (STRI) for Ultra‐Strong Composites by Computational Design (US‐COMP, grant NNX17AJ32G). C.K.J. also acknowledges funding from the MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROP) Program. The authors thank Claire Jolowski and Prof. Zhiyong (Richard) Liang of Florida State University, as well as Nanocomp Technologies (a subsidiary of Huntsman Advanced Materials), for providing the CNT sheets. The authors thank the Koch Institute's Peterson (1957) Nanotechnology Materials Core Facility for technical support, specifically David Mankus for assistance with Cryo‐FIB and Dong Soo Yun for performing high‐resolution TEM imaging. The authors also thank the Harvard Center for Nanoscale Systems, particularly Nicki Watson for assistance with microtome sectioning and TEM imaging. The authors thank Reed Kopp (MIT), for assistance with X‐ray CT measurements. The authors also thank William. J. Sawyer, Ashley L. Kaiser, Megan Creighton, Joseph D. Sandt, Richard B. Church, and Nick T. Dee of MIT, and Dr. Mathias C. Celina from Sandia National Laboratories, for useful discussions regarding this work. Financial support was provided by the NASA Space Technology Research Institute (STRI) for Ultra-Strong Composites by Computational Design (US-COMP, grant NNX17AJ32G). C.K.J. also acknowledges funding from the MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROP) Program. The authors thank Claire Jolowski and Prof. Zhiyong (Richard) Liang of Florida State University, as well as Nanocomp Technologies (a subsidiary of Huntsman Advanced Materials), for providing the CNT sheets. The authors thank the Koch Institute's Peterson (1957) Nanotechnology Materials Core Facility for technical support, specifically David Mankus for assistance with Cryo-FIB and Dong Soo Yun for performing high-resolution TEM imaging. The authors also thank the Harvard Center for Nanoscale Systems, particularly Nicki Watson for assistance with microtome sectioning and TEM imaging. The authors thank Reed Kopp (MIT), for assistance with X-ray CT measurements. The authors also thank William. J. Sawyer, Ashley L. Kaiser, Megan Creighton, Joseph D. Sandt, Richard B. Church, and Nick T. Dee of MIT, and Dr. Mathias C. Celina from Sandia National Laboratories, for useful discussions regarding this work. The supporting information was updated on December 22, 2020 after initial online publication.

Keywords

carbon nanotubes
composites
interface
mechanics
polymerization

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
General Chemistry
Condensed Matter Physics
General Materials Science
Electrochemistry
Biomaterials

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10.1002/adfm.202005499

Cite this

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title = "In Situ Interfacial Polymerization: A Technique for Rapid Formation of Highly Loaded Carbon Nanotube-Polymer Composites",

abstract = "Composites of polymers and organized carbon nanotube (CNT) networks have been proposed as next-generation lightweight structural materials, yet polymer infiltration of CNT networks often results in stress-concentrating heterogeneities, due to local CNT aggregation or incomplete infiltration. Herein, it is demonstrated that dense CNT-polymer composites with tailored polymer distribution can be obtained by interfacial polymerization (IP), performed in situ within CNT networks. Three regimes of the in situ interfacial polymerization (ISIP) process are identified: a reaction-limited regime where the polymer forms beads on the CNTs; a uniformly-filled regime with polymer throughout the CNT network; and a transport-limited regime with polymer only near the outer surface of the network. Uniform polyamide-CNT composite sheets obtained by this method have a Young's modulus of 31 GPa and a tensile strength of 776 MPa, which is a two-fold increase compared to the pristine CNT sheets. Premature failure of the composites is attributed to large voids in the pristine CNT sheets, suggesting that further improved mechanical properties can be achieved with a more homogeneous CNT network. Nevertheless, the rapid rate and overall controllability of ISIP suggest its viability for formation of polymers within CNT networks via roll-to-roll methods.",

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author = "Chazot, {C{\'e}cile A.C.} and Jons, {Carolyn K.} and Hart, {A. John}",

note = "Funding Information: Financial support was provided by the NASA Space Technology Research Institute (STRI) for Ultra‐Strong Composites by Computational Design (US‐COMP, grant NNX17AJ32G). C.K.J. also acknowledges funding from the MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROP) Program. The authors thank Claire Jolowski and Prof. Zhiyong (Richard) Liang of Florida State University, as well as Nanocomp Technologies (a subsidiary of Huntsman Advanced Materials), for providing the CNT sheets. The authors thank the Koch Institute's Peterson (1957) Nanotechnology Materials Core Facility for technical support, specifically David Mankus for assistance with Cryo‐FIB and Dong Soo Yun for performing high‐resolution TEM imaging. The authors also thank the Harvard Center for Nanoscale Systems, particularly Nicki Watson for assistance with microtome sectioning and TEM imaging. The authors thank Reed Kopp (MIT), for assistance with X‐ray CT measurements. The authors also thank William. J. Sawyer, Ashley L. Kaiser, Megan Creighton, Joseph D. Sandt, Richard B. Church, and Nick T. Dee of MIT, and Dr. Mathias C. Celina from Sandia National Laboratories, for useful discussions regarding this work. Funding Information: Financial support was provided by the NASA Space Technology Research Institute (STRI) for Ultra-Strong Composites by Computational Design (US-COMP, grant NNX17AJ32G). C.K.J. also acknowledges funding from the MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROP) Program. The authors thank Claire Jolowski and Prof. Zhiyong (Richard) Liang of Florida State University, as well as Nanocomp Technologies (a subsidiary of Huntsman Advanced Materials), for providing the CNT sheets. The authors thank the Koch Institute's Peterson (1957) Nanotechnology Materials Core Facility for technical support, specifically David Mankus for assistance with Cryo-FIB and Dong Soo Yun for performing high-resolution TEM imaging. The authors also thank the Harvard Center for Nanoscale Systems, particularly Nicki Watson for assistance with microtome sectioning and TEM imaging. The authors thank Reed Kopp (MIT), for assistance with X-ray CT measurements. The authors also thank William. J. Sawyer, Ashley L. Kaiser, Megan Creighton, Joseph D. Sandt, Richard B. Church, and Nick T. Dee of MIT, and Dr. Mathias C. Celina from Sandia National Laboratories, for useful discussions regarding this work. The supporting information was updated on December 22, 2020 after initial online publication. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH",

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N2 - Composites of polymers and organized carbon nanotube (CNT) networks have been proposed as next-generation lightweight structural materials, yet polymer infiltration of CNT networks often results in stress-concentrating heterogeneities, due to local CNT aggregation or incomplete infiltration. Herein, it is demonstrated that dense CNT-polymer composites with tailored polymer distribution can be obtained by interfacial polymerization (IP), performed in situ within CNT networks. Three regimes of the in situ interfacial polymerization (ISIP) process are identified: a reaction-limited regime where the polymer forms beads on the CNTs; a uniformly-filled regime with polymer throughout the CNT network; and a transport-limited regime with polymer only near the outer surface of the network. Uniform polyamide-CNT composite sheets obtained by this method have a Young's modulus of 31 GPa and a tensile strength of 776 MPa, which is a two-fold increase compared to the pristine CNT sheets. Premature failure of the composites is attributed to large voids in the pristine CNT sheets, suggesting that further improved mechanical properties can be achieved with a more homogeneous CNT network. Nevertheless, the rapid rate and overall controllability of ISIP suggest its viability for formation of polymers within CNT networks via roll-to-roll methods.

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In Situ Interfacial Polymerization: A Technique for Rapid Formation of Highly Loaded Carbon Nanotube-Polymer Composites

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