Polymerized ionic liquid functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes/polyetherimide composites

•Modifications of multi-walled carbon nanotubes.•Functionalization using poly-ionic liquids.•Dispersion into polyether imide matrices.•Study of the thermal, electrical and mechanical properties of the composites.

Thin polyetherimide (PEI) films containing 0.1–3 wt.% multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), have been prepared from three types of MWCNTs, namely pristine, oxidized and polymerized ionic liquid (PIL) functionalized CNTs. Oxidized and PIL functionalized CNTs (CNT–PIL) showed better dispersion in the matrix compared to pristine CNTs. For CNT–PIL, alignment of CNTs has been observed in the matrix. Regardless of the type of CNTs, their incorporation led to an increased thermal stability of the polymer matrix. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that storage modulus increased by up to 25% (3 wt.% CNT–PIL) and an increase in the height of the damping peaks (tan δ). The addition of CNTs did not have any significant influence on the tensile properties and Tg of the polymer, and the electrical conductivity did not decrease in the case of modified CNTs.

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