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    Dispersability and particle size distribution of CNTs in an aqueous surfactant dispersion as a function of ultrasonic treatment time
    (New York, NY [u.a.] : Pergamon Press, 2010) Krause, Beate; Mende, Mandy; Pötschke, Petra; Petzold, Gudrun
    The dispersability of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was assessed by studying the sedimentation of CNTs dispersed in aqueous surfactant solutions at different ultrasonication treatment times using a LUMiSizer® apparatus under centrifugal forces. Different commercially available multiwalled CNTs, namely Baytubes® C150P, Nanocyl™ NC7000, Arkema Graphistrength® C100, and FutureCarbon CNT-MW showing quite different kinetics were compared. In addition, the particle size distributions were analyzed using dynamic light scattering and centrifugal separation analysis. The best dispersabilities were found for Nanocyl™ NC7000 and FutureCarbon CNT-MW; to prepare stable dispersions of Baytubes® C150P or Graphistrength® C100 five times the energy was needed. As a result of the centrifugal separation analysis, it was concluded that Nanocyl™ NC7000 and Baytubes® C150P were dispersed as single nanotubes using ultrasonic treatment whereas small agglomerates or bundles are existing in dispersions containing FutureCarbon CNT-MW and Graphistrength® C100. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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    Correlation of carbon nanotube dispersability in aqueous surfactant solutions and polymers
    (New York, NY [u.a.] : Pergamon Press, 2009) Krause, Beate; Petzold, Gudrun; Pegel, Sven; Pötschke, Petra
    In order to assess the dispersability of carbon nanotube materials, tubes produced under different synthesis conditions were dispersed in aqueous surfactant solutions and the sedimentation behaviour under centrifugation forces was investigated using a LUMiFuge stability analyzer. The electrical percolation threshold of the nanotubes after melt mixing in polyamide 6.6 was determined and the state of dispersion was studied. As a general tendency, the nanotubes having better aqueous dispersion stability showed lower electrical percolation threshold and better nanotube dispersion in the composites. This indicates that the investigation of the stability of aqueous dispersions is also able to give information about the nanotubes inherent dispersability in polymer melts, both strongly influenced by the entanglement and agglomerate structure of the tubes within the as-produced nanotube materials. The shape of the nanotubes in the aqueous dispersions was assessed using a SYSMEX flow particle image analyzer and found to correspond to the shape observed from cryofractured surfaces of the polymer composites. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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    Methods to characterize the dispersability of carbon nanotubes and their length distribution
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH Verl., 2012) Krause, Beate; Mende, Mandy; Petzold, Gudrun; Boldt, Regine; Pötschke, Petra
    Two main properties of carbon nanotube (CNT) materials are discussed in this contribution. First, a method to characterize the dispersability of CNT materials in aqueous surfactant solutions in presented, which also allows conclusions towards the dispersability in other media, like polymer melts. On the other hand it is shown, how the length of CNTs before and after processing, e.g., after melt mixing with thermoplastics, can be quantified. Both methods are illustrated with examples and the practical relevance is shown. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
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    Thermal annealing to influence the vapor sensing behavior of co-continuous poly(lactic acid)/polystyrene/multiwalled carbon nanotube composites
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2020) Li, Yilong; Pionteck, Jürgen; Pötschke, Petra; Voit, Brigitte
    With the main purpose of being used as vapor leakage detector, the volatile organic compound (VOC) vapor sensing properties of conductive polymer blend composites were studied. Poly(lactic acid)/polystyrene/multi-walled carbon nanotube (PLA/PS/MWCNT) based conductive polymer composites (CPCs) in which the polymer components exhibit different interactions with the vapors, were prepared by melt mixing. CPCs with a blend composition of 50/50 wt% resulted in the finest co-continuous structure and selective MWCNT localization in PLA. Therefore, these composites were selected for sensor tests. Thermal annealing was applied aiming to maintain the blend structure but improving the sensing reversibility of CPC sensors towards high vapor concentrations. Different sensing protocols were applied using acetone (good solvent for PS and PLA) and cyclohexane (good solvent for PS but poor solvent for PLA) vapors. Increasing acetone vapor concentration resulted in increased relative resistance change (Rrel) of CPCs. Saturated cyclohexane vapor resulted in lower response than nearly saturated acetone vapor. The thermal annealing at 150 °C did not change the blend morphology but increased the PLA crystallinity, making the CPC sensors more resistant to vapor stimulation, resulting in lower Rrel but better reversibility after vapor exposure.
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    The Localization Behavior of Different CNTs in PC/SAN Blends Containing a Reactive Component
    (Basel : MDPI, 2021-3-1) Gültner, Marén; Boldt, Regine; Formanek, Petr; Fischer, Dieter; Simon, Frank; Pötschke, Petra
    Co-continuous blend systems of polycarbonate (PC), poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (SAN), commercial non-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) or various types of commercial and laboratory functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), and a reactive component (RC, N-phenylmaleimide styrene maleic anhydride copolymer) were melt compounded in one step in a microcompounder. The blend system is immiscible, while the RC is miscible with SAN and contains maleic anhydride groups that have the potential to reactively couple with functional groups on the surface of the nanotubes. The influence of the RC on the localization of MWCNTs and SWCNTs (0.5 wt.%) was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-filtered TEM. In PC/SAN blends without RC, MWCNTs are localized in the PC component. In contrast, in PC/SAN-RC, the MWCNTs localize in the SAN-RC component, depending on the RC concentration. By adjusting the MWCNT/RC ratio, the localization of the MWCNTs can be tuned. The SWCNTs behave differently compared to the MWCNTs in PC/SAN-RC blends and their localization occurs either only in the PC or in both blend components, depending on the type of the SWCNTs. CNT defect concentration and surface functionalities seem to be responsible for the localization differences.
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    Blend Structure and n-Type Thermoelectric Performance of PA6/SAN and PA6/PMMA Blends Filled with Singlewalled Carbon Nanotubes
    (Basel : MDPI, 2021-4-28) Krause, Beate; Liguoro, Alice; Pötschke, Petra
    The present study investigates how the formation of melt-mixed immiscible blends based on PA6/SAN and PA6/PMMA filled with single walled nanotubes (SWCNTs) affects the thermoelectric (TE) properties. In addition to the detailed investigation of the blend morphology with compositions between 100/0 wt.% and 50/50 wt.%, the thermoelectric properties are investigated on blends with different SWCNT concentrations (0.25–3.0 wt.%). Both PA6 and the blend composites with the used type of SWCNTs showed negative Seebeck coefficients. It was shown that the PA6 matrix polymer, in which the SWCNTs are localized, mainly influenced the thermoelectric properties of blends with high SWCNT contents. By varying the blend composition, an increase in the absolute Seebeck coefficient, power factor (PF), and figure of merit (ZT) was achieved compared to the PA6 composite which is mainly related to the selective localization and enrichment of SWCNTs in the PA6 matrix at constant SWCNT loading. The maximum PFs achieved were 0.22 µW/m·K2 for PA6/SAN/SWCNT 70/30/3 wt.% and 0.13 µW/m·K2 for PA6/PMMA/SWCNT 60/40/3 wt.% compared to 0.09 µW/m·K2 for PA6/3 wt.% SWCNT which represent increases to 244% and 144%, respectively. At higher PMMA or SAN concentration, the change from matrix-droplet to a co-continuous morphology started, which, despite higher SWCNT enrichment in the PA6 matrix, disturbed the electrical conductivity, resulting in reduced PFs with still increasing Seebeck coefficients. At SWCNT contents between 0.5 and 3 wt.% the increase in the absolute Seebeck coefficient was compensated by lower electrical conductivity resulting in lower PF and ZT as compared to the PA6 composites.
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    Screening of Different Carbon Nanotubes in Melt-Mixed Polymer Composites with Different Polymer Matrices for Their Thermoelectrical Properties
    (Basel : MDPI, 2019-12-7) Krause, Beate; Barbier, Carine; Levente, Juhasz; Klaus, Maxim; Pötschke, Petra
    The aim of this study is to reveal the influences of carbon nanotube (CNT) and polymer type as well as CNT content on electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient (S), and the resulting power factor (PF) and figure of merit (ZT). Different commercially available and laboratory made CNTs were used to prepare melt-mixed composites on a small scale. CNTs typically lead to p-type composites with positive S-values. This was found for the two types of multi-walled CNTs (MWCNT) whereby higher Seebeck coefficient in the corresponding buckypapers resulted in higher values also in the composites. Nitrogen doped MWCNTs resulted in negative S-values in the buckypapers as well as in the polymer composites. When using single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) with a positive S-value in the buckypapers, positive (polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT)) or negative (polyamide 66 (PA66), polyamide 6 (PA6), partially aromatic polyamide (PARA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)) S-values were obtained depending on the matrix polymer and SWCNT type. The study shows that the direct production of n-type melt-mixed polymer composites from p-type commercial SWCNTs with relatively high Seebeck coefficients is possible. The highest Seebeck coefficients obtained in this study were 66.4 µV/K (PBT/7 wt % SWCNT Tuball) and −57.1 µV/K (ABS/0.5 wt % SWCNT Tuball) for p-and n-type composites, respectively. The highest power factor and ZT of 0.28 µW/m·K2 and 3.1 × 10−4, respectively, were achieved in PBT with 4 wt % SWCNT Tuball.
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    Mixed Carbon Nanomaterial/Epoxy Resin for Electrically Conductive Adhesives
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Lopes, Paulo E.; Moura, Duarte; Hilliou, Loic; Krause, Beate; Pötschke, Petra; Figueiredo, Hugo; Alves, Ricardo; Lepleux, Emmanuel; Pacheco, Louis; Paiva, Maria C.
    The increasing complexity of printed circuit boards (PCBs) due to miniaturization, increased the density of electronic components, and demanding thermal management during the assembly triggered the research of innovative solder pastes and electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs). Current commercial ECAs are typically based on epoxy matrices with a high load (>60%) of silver particles, generally in the form of microflakes. The present work reports the production of ECAs based on epoxy/carbon nanomaterials using carbon nanotubes (single and multi-walled) and exfoliated graphite, as well as hybrid compositions, within a range of concentrations. The composites were tested for morphology (dispersion of the conductive nanomaterials), electrical and thermal conductivity, rheological characteristics and deposition on a test PCB. Finally, the ECA’s shelf life was assessed by mixing all the components and conductive nanomaterials, and evaluating the cure of the resin before and after freezing for a time range up to nine months. The ECAs produced could be stored at −18 °C without affecting the cure reaction.
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    Interfacial chemistry using a bifunctional coupling agent for enhanced electrical properties of carbon nanotube based composites
    (Oxford : Elsevier Science, 2013) Socher, Robert; Jakisch, Lothar; Krause, Beate; Oertel, Ulrich; Voit, Brigitte; Pötschke, Petra
    A bifunctional coupling agent (BCA) containing one oxazoline and one benzoxazinone group was applied to promote a reaction between polyamide 12 (PA12) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) during melt mixing. With this modification, the MWCNT content needed for the electrical percolation was significantly reduced by more than a factor of three. For amino functionalized MWCNT-PA12 composites adding 1 wt.% BCA electrical percolation was reached at only 0.37 wt.% MWCNTs compared to 1.0 wt.% without BCA. With the help of a model reaction, the covalent attachment of the BCA to the MWCNTs could be shown by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and via fluorescence spectroscopy. Model compounds were applied containing either only the oxazoline or the benzoxazinone group to show that the better electrical properties in the PA12-MWCNT composites were a result of a covalent bond between the polymer and the nanotube which only takes place when the BCA was used. In addition, significantly higher electrical conductivity values were obtained by the addition of BCA as well with amino functionalized as with nonmodified commercial MWCNTs. This surprising result was attributed to the significant hydroxy group content on the surface of those commercial MWCNTs. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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    Dispersability of multiwalled carbon nanotubes in polycarbonate-chloroform solutions
    (Oxford : Elsevier Science, 2014) Staudinger, Ulrike; Krause, Beate; Steinbach, Christine; Pötschke, Petra; Voit, Brigitte
    The dispersion of commercial multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs, Nanocyl™ NC7000) in chloroform and in polycarbonate (PC)-chloroform solutions was investigated by variation of the polymer concentration, MWCNT amount and sonication time and compared with PC/MWCNT composites, which were processed by melt mixing, subsequently dissolved in chloroform and dispersed via sonication under the same conditions. The sedimentation behaviour was characterised under centrifugal forces using a LUMiSizer® separation analyser. The space and time resolved extinction profiles as a measure of the stability of the dispersion and the particle size distribution were evaluated. Sonication up to 5 min gradually increases the amount of dispersed particles in the solutions. A significant improvement of the MWCNT dispersion in chloroform was achieved by the addition of PC indicating the mechanism of polymer chain wrapping around the MWCNTs. In dispersions of melt mixed PC/MWCNT composites the dispersion of MWCNTs is significantly enhanced already at a low sonication time of only 0.5 min due to very efficient polymer wrapping during the melt mixing process. However, the best dispersion quality does not lead to the highest electrical conductivity of thin composite films made of these PC/MWCNT dispersions.