Polymer confinement effects in aligned carbon nanotubes arrays

We present experimental and theoretical studies on the infiltration of polymers ( polystyrene ( PS), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)) into the free interstices of 3D aligned carbon nanotube arrays. The 3D aligned CNT structures were prepared by a template assisted non catalytic CVD approach. The infiltrated CNT/polymer composites were characterized by microscopic techniques such as infra-red and Raman spectroscopy. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) has been employed to study the structural evolution and polymer confinement after the polymers are infiltrated in the aligned arrays of CNTs. A theoretical model has been used to understand and predict possible confinement effects of these polymers within the aligned CNT arrays, using self-consistent field theory (SCFT) and Monte-Carlo simulations based on the bond-fluctuation model.