A series of novel high‐temperature‐resistant multiwall carbon nanotubes dispersants: Polyphenylene sulfones with pyrene groups in main chain. Issue 7 (23rd August 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Xu, Da; Seery, Thomas A. P.; Gao, Yanwei; Ding, Lianjun; Zhou, Chenyi; Wang, Zhaoyang; Jiang, Zilong; Zhang, Haibo
• Is Part Of: Journal of applied polymer science. Volume 137:Issue 7(2020)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2019-08-23
• Subjects: composites -- dispersion -- multi‐walled carbon nanotubes -- polyphenylene sulfones; Polymers -- Periodicals; Polymerization -- Periodicals; 668.9
• DOI: 10.1002/app.48379
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-8995

Abstract

ABSTRACT: A series of polyphenylene sulfones were synthesized with pyrene groups in the main chain. Using a traditional Suzuki coupling reaction followed by a reduction, the pyrene‐containing monomer was synthesized as the diphenol. A series of copolymers were synthesized using this new monomer, a biphenyldiphenol, and 4, 4′‐difluorodiphenylsulfone. These polymers were characterized using 1 HNMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The introduction of rigid pyrene groups provided these new polymers with good thermal stability and mechanical strength. In this work, these polymers are shown to functionalize and disperse multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The associations of our copolymers to the MWCNTs appear to operate through pi stacking interactions between the pyrene group and the sidewalls of the MWCNTs, referred to in this article as f‐MWCNTs. The dispersibility of f‐MWCNTs in solvents and polymer matrixes was systematically studied by preparation of f‐MWCNTs/polyphenylene sulfone (PPSU) composites with various f‐MWCNTs content. Improvements in the dispersability of f‐MWCNTs in PPSU resin result in enhancement of the mechanical and thermal properties of f‐MWCNTs/PPSU composites. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48379. Abstract : The pyrene‐containing polyphenylene sulfones successfully functionalized the MWCNTs as the dispersants, through the pi stacking interactions between the pyrene group and MWCNTs sidewalls, and then dispersed the functionalized MWCNTs (f‐MWCNTs) in solvents and polymer matrixes.