ABSTRACT
Model composites of DNA-wrapped single-wall carbon nanotubes in poly(acrylic acid) are used to evaluate metrics of nanotube dispersion. By varying the pH of the precursor solutions, we introduce a controlled deviation from ideal behavior. On the basis of small-angle neutron scattering, changes in near-infrared fluorescence intensity are strongly correlated with dispersion, while optical absorption spectroscopy and resonant Raman scattering are less definitive. Our results represent the first systematic comparison of currently accepted measures of nanotube dispersion.
Subject(s)
Nanotechnology , Nanotubes, Carbon/chemistry , Acrylamides/chemistry , DNA/chemistry , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Spectrophotometry, Infrared , Spectrum Analysis, RamanABSTRACT
We have discovered a droplet-string transition in concentrated polymer blends which occurs when the size of the dispersed droplets becomes comparable to the gap width between the shearing surfaces. The transition is abrupt and proceeds via the coalescence of droplets in a four-stage kinetic process. Once formed, the strings are stable and exhibit pronounced hysteresis. The string state is stabilized by a suppression of the Rayleigh-Tomotika instability due to both finite size effects and to the shear-induced advection of small-amplitude disturbances.
