Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea.
Graduate School of Energy Science and Technology (GEST), Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea.
Molecules. 2023 May 18;28(10):4168. doi: 10.3390/molecules28104168.
Owing to their excellent electrical conductivity and robust mechanical properties, carbon-based nanocomposites are being used in a wide range of applications and devices, such as electromagnetic wave interference shielding, electronic devices, and fuel cells. While several approaches have been developed for synthesizing carbon nanotubes and carbon-black-based polymer nanocomposites, most studies have focused on the simple blending of the carbon material with a polymer matrix. However, this results in uncontrolled interactions between the carbon filler and the polymer chains, leading to the agglomeration of the carbon filler. Herein, we report a new strategy for synthesizing sulfonated polystyrene (PSS)-grafted carbon black nanoparticles (NPs) via surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization. Treatments with O plasma and HO result in the effective attachment of the appropriate initiator to the carbon black NPs, thus allowing for the controlled formation of the PSS brushes. The high polymeric processability and desirable mechanical properties of the PSS-grafted carbon black NPs enable them suitable for use in nonfluorinated-hydrocarbon-based polymer electrolyte membranes for fuel cells, which must exhibit high proton conductivity without interrupting the network of channels consisting of ionic clusters (i.e., sulfonic acid moieties).
由于其优异的导电性和稳健的机械性能，基于碳的纳米复合材料正在被广泛应用于各种应用和设备中，如电磁波干扰屏蔽、电子设备和燃料电池。虽然已经开发出了几种合成碳纳米管和炭黑基聚合物纳米复合材料的方法，但大多数研究都集中在简单地将碳材料与聚合物基体混合上。然而，这导致了碳填充剂与聚合物链之间不可控的相互作用，从而导致碳填充剂的团聚。在此，我们报告了一种通过表面引发原子转移自由基聚合合成磺化聚苯乙烯（PSS）接枝炭黑纳米颗粒（NPs）的新策略。O 等离子体和 HO 的处理导致适当的引发剂有效地附着在炭黑 NPs 上，从而允许 PSS 刷的可控形成。PSS 接枝炭黑 NPs 的高聚合加工性能和理想的机械性能使它们适用于非氟化烃基聚合物电解质膜燃料电池，该膜必须表现出高质子导电性，而不会中断由离子簇（即磺酸部分）组成的通道网络。
