Title

Ultralight Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Aerogel

Authors

Authors

J. H. Zou; J. H. Liu; A. S. Karakoti; A. Kumar; D. Joung; Q. A. Li; S. I. Khondaker; S. Seal;L. Zhai

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

ACS Nano

Keywords

carbon nanotube aerogel; honeycomb; hierarchically porous; pressure; sensor; gas sensor; CONJUGATED BLOCK-COPOLYMERS; TRANSPARENT; PERCOLATION; COMPOSITES; SILICA; FILMS; MICROHONEYCOMBS; NANOPARTICLES; ELECTRODES; DEPOSITION; Chemistry, Multidisciplinary; Chemistry, Physical; Nanoscience &; Nanotechnology; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary

Abstract

Ultralight multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) aerogel is fabricated from a wet gel of well-dispersed pristine MWCNTs. On the basis of a theoretical prediction that increasing interaction potential between CNTs lowers their critical concentration to form an infinite percolation network, poly(3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate) (PTMSPMA) is used to disperse and functionalize MWCNTs where the subsequent hydrolysis and condensation of PTMSPMA introduces strong and permanent chemical bonding between MWCNTs. The interaction Is both experimentally and theoretically proven to facilitate the formation of a MWCNT percolation network, which leads to the gelation of MWCNT dispersion at ultralow MWCNT concentration. After removing the liquid component from the MWCNT wet gel, the lightest ever free-standing MWCNT aerogel monolith with a density of 4 mg/cm(3) is obtained. The MWCNT aerogel has an ordered macroporous honeycomb structure with straight and parallel voids in 50-150 mu m separated by less than 100 nm thick walls. The entangled MWCNTs generate mesoporous structures on the honeycomb walls, creating aerogels with a surface area of 580 m(2)/g which is much higher than that of pristine MWCNTs (241 m(2)/g). Despite the ultralow density, the MWCNT aerogels have an excellent compression recoverable property as demonstrated by the compression test. The aerogels have an electrical conductivity of 3.2 x 10(-2) S . cm(-1) that can be further increased to 0.675 . cm(-1) by a high-current pulse method without degrading their structures. The excellent compression recoverable property, hierarchically porous structure with large surface area, and high conductivity grant the MWCNT aerogels exceptional pressure and chemical vapor sensing capabilities.

Journal Title

Acs Nano

Volume

4

Issue/Number

12

Publication Date

1-1-2010

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

7293

Last Page

7302

WOS Identifier

WOS:000285449100030

ISSN

1936-0851

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