Nanocomposites of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT)/Polyimide

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/Polyimide(PI) nanocomposite films have been prepared by a simple solution casting method with the pre-modified MWCNTs. The dispersion of MWCNTs in PI matrix was observed by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) which illustrated the improved dispersion for acid treated MWCNTs in PI. The adding of MWCNTs in PI decreased the dispersive component of surface energy and increased the polar component of surface energy, which resulted in the decrement of film surface energy. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that the glass transition temperature of PI increased by about 4^oC after the introduction of MWCNTs. This improvement was related to the better affinity between MWCNTs and PI matrix, which also resulted in the improvement of mechanical strength in MWCNTs/PI nanocomposites.