Citation
Abdul Aziz, Nur Haziqah
(2021)
Improvement in dispersement and agglomeration properties for carbon nanotube ink.
Masters thesis, Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Abstract
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are developing in flexible, stretchable and sensitive
electronic technologies for decades because of their impressive properties and
performance in electrical and mechanical which are almost similar to metal.
However, some of the current methods are costly as well as have issues with
dispersion which will cause agglomeration and sedimentation of the nanotubes.
This study aims to produce improved dispersion of CNT-polymer conductive
nano- ink for printing technology without agglomeration and sedimentation
issues. The functionalized MWCNTs is dispersed in isopropyl alcohol (IPA)
solution and compared with other organic solvents such as methanol, ethanol,
acetone, chloroform and Tetrahydrofuran (THF) using Raman spectroscopy,
Fourier Electron Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and current-voltage
(I-V) characterisations. The conductive ink is synthesised via ultrasonication
and magnetic stirring. Eight samples are prepared for various conditions which
include the presence of ethylcellulose, types of chitosan and concentration of
MWCNTs. The characterization analyses such as Energy Dispersive X-Ray
Analysis (EDX), FESEM, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR),
Raman spectroscopy, rheological measurement via rheometer,
thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-VIS), and electrical
testing’s using 4-point probes as well as 2-point probes. EDX results show that
the weight percentage of the Carbon (C) atom decrease with the presence of
ethylcellulose. Meanwhile, the FESEM images show that the presence of
ethylcellulose prevents the formation of nanotubes bundles. However, the
higher concentration which is 5 mg/ml gives the better structure of nanotubes.
The Raman study shows that the presence of cellulose increased the Peak
Intensity Ratio for the carbon defect. The ethylcellulose also increased the
viscosity of the conductive nano-ink, 11.13 mPA which is still in the range of the
viscosity of commercial ink. Though the presence of ethylcellulose reduced the
conductivity of the nano-ink, it successfully prevents the formation of the ‘coffee
ring’ effect. Among all samples, Sample 7, the high concentration which is 5mg/ml with ethyl celluloses and chitosan solution is chosen as the best
sample with better performance, stable and optimum conductivity on the glass which are in the range of 1.52x 10−01-01 to 2.15x 10−01.
.
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