Fabrication And Study Of Carbon Nanotubes/Organic Optoelectrical Materials Nanocomposite

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted much attention due to their unique electrical, optical, magnetic and mechanical properties. They show good capacity of electron transportation. However, because their sidewalls are usually inert, it is hard to disperse them well in common solvents, which hinders their applications in devices. Introducing modification to their surface is an effective way to improve their dispersibility in solvents and compatibility with organic materials. Recently, organic optoelectrical materials arouse many interests for their good properties such as light weight, low cost, easily tunable energy level and easiness to be processed into large scale. Compared with inorganic counterparts, however, the energy conversion efficiency of the organic optoelectronic materials is still very low. It has been reported that the introduction of carbon nanotubes can induce charge transfer between the organic materials and CNTs, thus improve the performance of the organic materials. Meanwhile, the total area of the interface between CNTs and organic materials is found to be important for charge transfer. In this thesis, we fabricated triphenylamine (TPA) and triphenylamine related copolymer (PTPA) wrapped multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) one-dimensional (1D) nanohybrids through facile phase separation methods. Their structures and properties were studied.In Chapter 2, TPA wrapped MWCNTs 1D nanohybrids were fabricated through a facile phase separation method. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images exhibited that a TPA layer was wrapping the outer walls of the MWCNTs. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was utilized to investigate the aggregation structure of the TPA molecules in the hybrids. Fluorescence and SPS study of the hybrids indicated that there might exist energy or electron interactions between TPA and MWCNTs. The photoconductivity of the 1D hybrids was also investigated.Coating MWCNTs with a fluorescent PTPA were prepared through another facile and mild phase separation strategy. The morphology of the nanohybrids was demonstrated by TEM and the aggregate structure of the copolymer on MWCNTs wasinvestigated by XRD. The weight ratio of the PTPA to MWCNTs in the 1D hybrids was studied by Thermogravimetric analysis. The UV-Vis, fluorescence spectra and SPS indicated certain electronic interaction between the two components. The enhanced photosensitivity of PTPA was also observed.