Fabrication of polyketone-grafted multi-walled carbon nanotubes using Grignard reagent and their composites with polyketone

A Grignard reagent containing pyrene, 1-pyrenylmethylmagnesium bromide (PMgBr), was explored as a novel reactive compatibilizer for producing aliphatic polyketone (PK) composites with multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) that had improved interfacial adhesion and mechanical strength. 1-Bromomethylpyrene (PBr) was adsorbed on MWCNTs and reacted with Mg to produce PMgBr on MWCNTs (MWCNT-PMgBr). PK-grafted MWCNT (PK-g-MWCNT) was prepared by reacting MWCNT-PMgBr with PK, and its composite with PK was fabricated by melt extrusion. The formation of PK-g-MWCNT was examined by spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and thermal analysis. The PK interfacial adhesion energies with MWCNTs were quantified, and the mechanical strengths of their composites examined. PK-g-MWCNT had the highest interfacial adhesion energy with PK among the MWCNTs. The PK/PK-g-MWCNT composite showed better MWCNT dispersion in PK and interfacial adhesion between MWCNT and PK than the PK/pristine MWCNT composite. Consequently, the PK/PK-g-MWCNT composite exhibited higher mechanical strength than the PK/pristine MWCNT composite when the composite contained the same amount of MWCNTs.