Tandem Action of Early−Late Transition Metal Catalysts for the Surface Coating of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes with Linear Low-Density Polyethylene

Chem. Mater., 20 (9), 3092–3098, 2008. 10.1021/cm7035184
Web Release Date: April 5, 2008

Tandem Action of Early−Late Transition Metal Catalysts for the Surface Coating of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes with Linear Low-Density Polyethylene

A. Toti,^† G. Giambastiani,^*^† C. Bianchini,^*^† A. Meli,^† S. Bredeau,^‡ Ph. Dubois,^*^‡ D. Bonduel,^§ and M. Claes^§

Istituto di Chimica dei Composti Organometallici (ICCOM-CNR), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Firenze), Italy, Center of Innovation and Research in Materials & Polymers (CIRMAP), Laboratory of Polymeric and Composite Materials (LPCM), University of Mons-Hainaut, Place du Parc 20, B-7000 Mons, Belgium, and Nanocyl S. A., Rue de l’Essor 4, 5060 Sambreville, Belgium

Received December 10, 2007

Revised Manuscript Received February 20, 2008

Abstract:

The homogeneous surface coating of multiwalled carbon nanotubes with linear low-density polyethylenes, containing from 3 to 34 branches per 1000 carbon atoms, has been achieved for the first time by combining the polymerization-filling technique (PFT) with tandem copolymerization catalysis. This method, which takes advantage of the use of ethylene as single monomer feed, allows for the breakup of the native nanotube bundles and provides an effective way to control the branching in the PEs produced at the nanotube surface. TEM micrographs of the composite materials have shown an interesting dependence of the PE-coating morphology on the experimental parameters of the tandem system.

Download the full text: PDF | HTML