Fernandez d'Arlas B, Goyanes S, Rubiolo G H, Mondragon I, Corcuera M A, Eceiza A
'Materials+ Technologies' Group, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Eskola Politeknikoa, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, Pza Europa 1, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2009 Oct;9(10):6064-71. doi: 10.1166/jnn.2009.1560.
Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were surface modified firstly oxidizing them with a H2SO4/HNO3 mixture to obtain more reactive carboxylic groups on their surface and then higher functionality. Secondly the oxidized nanotubes (MWCNT-COOH) were dispersed in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and made react via esterification with a poly(hexamethylene carbonate-co-caprolactone)diol, a potentially biodegradable polyol with hydroxyl groups at its ends. Modification process steps were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, FT-IR, ultraviolet spectroscopy, UV, solubility in different solvents, thermo-gravimetric analysis, TGA, as well as atomic force microscopy, AFM. Results suggest that surface carboxylic groups are reactive enough to graft polymer chains onto their surface.
