Dispersant for dispersing carbon nanotubes and carbon nanotube composition comprising the same

• US 20060189822A1
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Do Yun, Lee, Yong Kyun, Choi, Jae Young, Yoon, Seon Mi, Lee, Eun Sung
• Application Number:
  US11/337,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20060189822A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 560/130
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2202/02 Single-walled nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2202/28 Solid content in solvents
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/174 Derivatisation; Solubilisation; Dispersion in solvents
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2603/50 Pyrenes; Hydrogenated pyrenes
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 43/1745 having more than one ether bound
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 69/612 Esters of carboxylic acids having a carboxyl group bound to an acyclic carbon atom and having a six-membered aromatic ring in the acid moiety

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a dispersant for dispersing carbon nanotubes which comprises a head having a high affinity for carbon nanotubes and a tail having a high affinity for a dispersion medium. The head includes an aromatic hydrocarbon group with a high affinity for carbon nanotubes to prevent aggregation of the carbon nanotubes, thereby improving the dispersibility of the carbon nanotubes. Further disclosed is a carbon nanotube composition comprising the dispersant.

Claims

1. A dispersant for dispersing carbon nanotubes comprising a head and a tail linked to the head

wherein the tail comprises at least one repeating unit of Formula 1 below or at least one repeating unit of Formula 2 below, or is polyethylene oxide or polypropylene oxide;

and the head comprises a substituted or unsubstituted C_6-30 aromatic hydrocarbon group;

wherein m is from 3 to 30, and R is selected from the group consisting of C_1-10 alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl groups,

wherein n is from 3 to 30.

2. The dispersant according to claim 1, wherein the head is at least one group selected from the group consisting of benzene, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon groups, including naphthalene, imidazole, acenaphthalene, acenaphthene, fluorene, anthracene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzanthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzopyrene, benzoperylene, and indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene.

3. The dispersant according to claim 1, wherein the tail is at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of polymethylmethacrylate, polybutylmethacrylate, polyacrylic acid, polymethacrylic acid, polyoxyethylene, polyoxypropylene, and copolymers of polyalkylmethacrylate and polymethacrylic acid.

4. The dispersant according to claim 1, wherein the dispersant has a structure of Formula 3 or 4 below:

5. The dispersant according to claim 4, wherein the dispersant has a structure represented by one of the following Formulae 5 to 8 below:

6. The dispersant according to claim 1, wherein the dispersant has a structure of Formula 9 below:

7. The dispersant according to claim 6, wherein the dispersant has a structure represented by one of the following Formulae 10 to 14 below:

8. A carbon nanotube composition comprising the dispersant of claim 1, carbon nanotubes, and a solvent.

9. The carbon nanotube composition according to claim 8, wherein the carbon nanotubes are selected from single-walled carbon nanotubes, double-walled carbon nanotubes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, rope carbon nanotubes, and combinations thereof.

10. The carbon nanotube composition according to claim 8, wherein the solvent is at least one kind selected from the group consisting of:

water;

alcohols, including methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, propyl alcohol and butanol;

ketones, including acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, ethyl isobutyl ketone and methyl isobutyl ketone;

glycols, including ethylene glycol, ethylene glycol methyl ether, ethylene glycol mono-n-propyl ether, propylene glycol, propylene glycol methyl ether, propylene glycol ethyl ether, propylene glycol butyl ether and propylene glycol propyl ether;

amides, including dimethylformamide and dimethylacetamide;

pyrrolidones, including N-methylpyrrolidone and N-ethylpyrrolidone;

dimethylsulfoxide;

γ

-butyrolactone;

hydroxyesters, including methyl lactate, ethyl lactate, methyl β

-methoxyisobutyrate and methyl α

-hydroxyisobutyrate;

anilines, including aniline and N-methylaniline;

hexane;

terpineol;

chloroform;

toluene;

propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA); and

N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP).

11. The carbon nanotube composition according to claim 8, wherein the composition comprises 0.001 to 10 parts by weight of the dispersant, 0.01 to 5 parts by weight of the carbon nanotubes and 85 to 99.989 parts by weight of the solvent, based on 100 parts by weight of the composition.