A novel ferrocene-containing polymer based dispersant for noncovalent dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in chloroform

•A series of well-defined PFcEMA were synthesized by a facile ATPR method.•PFcEMA was demonstrated to be an efficient dispersant for noncovalent dispersion of MWCNTs in CHCl3 for the first time.•Relative high concentration (0.21 mg/mL) of MWCNTs in CHCl3 was achieved employing PFcEMA.

A series of well-defined ferrocene-containing polymers (PFcEMA) were synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and employed for noncovalent dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in chloroform. The bundled MWCNTs were found to be dispersed effectively employing PFcEMA into individual tubes, based on the π–π stacking interactions between cyclopentadiene rings of ferrocene and the aromatic rings of the MWCNTs. The concentration (0.21 mg/mL) of the MWCNTs obtained employing PFcEMA in chloroform was comparable to the previously reported values, which were obtained through noncovalent dispersion of the MWCNTs with specially designed polymers. Thus, the novel ferrocene-containing polymer based dispersant provides a new approach for noncovalent dispersion of the MWCNTs in chloroform.

Graphical abstractThe ferrocene-containing polymer (PFcEMA) was found to be an efficient dispersant for noncovalent dispersion of MWCNTs into individual nanotubes in chloroform, based on the π–π stacking interactions between cyclopentadiene rings of ferrocene and the aromatic rings of the MWCNTs.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide