Influence of Electric Field on Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes in Liquids

Production processes for carbon nanotubes commonly produce mixtures of solid morphologies that are mechanically entangled or that self‐associate into aggregates. The entangled or aggregated carbon nanotubes often need to be dispersed in corresponding material matrices in order to develop materials that have unique mechanical characteristics or transport properties. The most effective method for dispersion of carbon nanotubes is to prepare fluid suspensions of them in liquid media with applications of surfactant or/and ultrasonication. The authors propose an innovative dispersion method for carbon nanotubes by which an electric field is applied to suspensions of carbon nanotubes in liquids treated by surfactant and ultrasonication. Compared to dispersion without the electric field, the dispersion status of carbon nanotubes in liquid media is evidently improved with the electric field. The results indicate that the electric field conditions are effective for dispersion of carbon nanotubes in liquids and that complex effects of electric field, surfactant, and ultrasonication are beneficial for improvement of dispersion of carbon nanotubes.