Amphiphilicity and self-assembly behaviors of polystyrene-grafted multi-walled carbon nanotubes in selective solvents

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) can self-assemble as cylindrical bundles in some solvents after polystyrene (PS) grafting. In these three-dimensional regular structures, the tubes are oriented and parallel arranged. Every self-assembly structure has an order head and a comparatively loose tail. In order to find out the role that solvent plays, MWCNTs were dispersed in several organic solvents before and after modification. Based on macroscopic stability of suspensions and microscopic state of nanotubes, compatibility between solvents and MWCNTs can be confirmed. According to compatibility difference between tubes and PS, five chosen solvents are divided into three groups: selective solvent, good solvent, and bad solvent. MWCNT-g-PS can self-assemble only in selective solvents. Tetrahydrofuran and benzene are well compatible with PS, but bad with MWCNTs. Driven by the solvent–philic/solvent–phobic interaction, MWCNT-g-PS self-organized regularly as bundles. Because each part of the MWCNT-g-PS is compatible well with 1,2-dichlorobenzene, gathering tendency of the modified tubes have been enervated by their good compatibility and weak amphiphilicity. Grafted or not, nanotubes reveal poor compatibility with methanol and ethanol. Strong incompatibility and limited amphiphilicity make MWCNT-g-PS agglomerate as quickly and irregularly as raw tubes. An adapted hydrophilic/lipophilic balance system is introduced to qualify compatibility and amphiphilicity of MWCNT-g-PS in each solvent. This novel model not only reveals the relationship between solvent and microscopic state of unmodified/modified tubes, but also signifies the decisive role of solvent in self-assembly behaviors of MWCNT-g-PS.