Dispersion of pristine and polyaniline functionalized carbon nanotubes in designed solvent mixtures by Hansen solubility parameters

Abstract Functionalizing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is a novel approach for improving the dispersion of MWCNTs. In this study, MWCNTs were functionalized using polyaniline (PANI). The effects of PANI surface modification on the Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs) of MWCNTs were reported. We studied the dispersion of different MWCNTs in several solvent mixtures based on HSP theory. To replace toxic and nonvolatile solvents for use with different MWCNTs, eight solvent mixtures with low toxicity and volatility were prepared. The dispersions of MWCNTs and PANI/MWCNTs in these solvent mixtures were compared with the dispersions in pure solvents. We found that the MWCNT dispersion is mainly related to the HSPs of the solvents and to the physical properties of solvents.