M-chloroperbenzoic acid induced epoxidation of carbon nanostructure
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abstract
One-dimensional carbon nanotubes demonstrate exceptional properties and show numerous potential applications. Unfortunately, these potential applications have been hindered due to the inert surface and manufacturing challenges. In this paper we epoxidized this ID nanostructure with controlled organic acid treatment. The resultant epoxy groups on the nanotube surface significantly enriched nanotube chemistry and make them soluble in the organic solvent. Atomic Force Microscopy characterization results indicated that epoxided nanotubes were well-dispersed in the organic solvent and most of them were isolated. Epoxidized-CNTs/Epoxy composites demonstrated a 50% increase in the Young's modulus, 32% improvement in the tensile strength with 1% loading. This investigation provides a solid foundation for the further industrial application of CNTs, such as CNT sensors and polymer composites.
