Formation of polymer-carbon nanotube composites by two-step supercritical fluid treatment

An approach for polymer-carbon nanotube (CNT) composite preparation is proposed based on a two-step supercritical fluid treatment. The first step, rapid expansion of a suspension (RESS) of CNTs in supercritical carbon dioxide, is used to de-bundle CNTs in order to simplify their mixing with polymer in solution. The ability of RESS pre-treatment to de-bundle CNTs and to cause significant bulk volume expansion is demonstrated. The second step is the formation of polymer-CNT composite from solution via supercritical antisolvent (SAS) precipitation. SAS treatment allows avoiding CNT agglomeration during transition from a solution into solid state due to the high speed of phase transition. The combination of these two supercritical fluid methods allowed obtaining a polycarbonate-multiwalled carbon nanotube composite with tensile strength two times higher compared to the initial polymer and enhanced elasticity.