TY - JOUR
T1 - Visualization of single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) networks in conductive polystyrene nanocomposites by charge contrast imaging
AU - Loos, Joachim
AU - Alexeev, Alexander
AU - Grossiord, Nadia
AU - Koning, Cor E.
AU - Regev, Oren
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors are thankful for the support of the Dutch Polymer Institute (DPI), project 416. We are very grateful to Paul van der Schoot for helpful discussions. Michel Pepers and Paul de Boer are kindly acknowledged for their assistance.
PY - 2005/9/1
Y1 - 2005/9/1
N2 - The morphology of conductive nanocomposites consisting of low concentration of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and polystyrene (PS) has been studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and, in particular, scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Application of charge contrast imaging in SEM allows visualization of the overall SWNT dispersion within the polymer matrix as well as the identification of individual or bundled SWNTs at high resolution. The contrast mechanism involved will be discussed. In conductive nanocomposites the SWNTs are homogeneously dispersed within the polymer matrix and form a network. Beside fairly straight SWNTs, strongly bended SWNTs have been observed. However, for samples with SWNT concentrations below the percolation threshold, the common overall charging behavior of an insulating material is observed preventing the detailed morphological investigation of the sample.
AB - The morphology of conductive nanocomposites consisting of low concentration of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and polystyrene (PS) has been studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and, in particular, scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Application of charge contrast imaging in SEM allows visualization of the overall SWNT dispersion within the polymer matrix as well as the identification of individual or bundled SWNTs at high resolution. The contrast mechanism involved will be discussed. In conductive nanocomposites the SWNTs are homogeneously dispersed within the polymer matrix and form a network. Beside fairly straight SWNTs, strongly bended SWNTs have been observed. However, for samples with SWNT concentrations below the percolation threshold, the common overall charging behavior of an insulating material is observed preventing the detailed morphological investigation of the sample.
KW - Charge contrast imaging
KW - Conductive nanocomposites
KW - Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
KW - Single-wall carbon nanotubes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=20544450482&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ultramic.2005.03.007
DO - 10.1016/j.ultramic.2005.03.007
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:20544450482
SN - 0304-3991
VL - 104
SP - 160
EP - 167
JO - Ultramicroscopy
JF - Ultramicroscopy
IS - 2
ER -