title: Synthesis and characterization of water-soluble multiwalled carbon nanotubes grafted by a thermoresponsive polymer.
abstract: Water-soluble multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) with temperature-responsive shells were successfully prepared by grafting poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) from the sidewalls of MWNTs, via surface reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization using RAFT agent functionalized MWNTs as the chain transfer agent. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements showed that the weight composition of the as-grown PNIPAM polymers on the MWNTs can be well controlled by the feed ratio (in weight) of NIPAM to RAFT agent functionalized MWNTs (MWNT-SC(S)Ph). The MWNT-g-PNIPAM has good solubility in water, chloroform, and tetrahydrofuran (THF). Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images also showed that the MWNT-g-PNIPAM was dispersed individually and eventually bonded with the polymer layer by surface RAFT polymerization. The PNIPAM shell is very sensitive to a change of temperature. This method could find potential applications by grafting other functional polymer chains onto MWNTs.
authors: Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Structure Research Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230026, People's Republic of China.
authors: Guoyong
authors: G
authors: Xu
authors: Wei-Tai
authors: WT
authors: Wu
authors: Yusong
authors: Y
authors: Wang
authors: Wenmin
authors: W
authors: Pang
authors: Pinghua
authors: P
authors: Wang
authors: Qingren
authors: Q
authors: Zhu
authors: Fei
authors: F
authors: Lu