Single-walled carbon nanotube dispersions in poly(ethylene oxide)

Dispersions of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) assisted by a lithium-based anionic surfactant demonstrate an electrical percolation of 0.03 wt.-% and a geometrical percolation, inferred from melt rheometry, of 0.09 wt.-%. Both the melting temperature and the extent of crystallinity of the PEO crystals decrease with increasing SWNT loading. Raman spectroscopy of the nanocomposites indicates a down-shift of the SWNT G-modes and suggests that the nanotubes are subjected to tensile stress transfer from the polymer at room temperature.