Electrospinning of poly(vinylpyrrodine) template for formation of ZrO2 nanoclusters for enhancing properties of composite proton conducting membranes

Nanosized ZrO₂ clusters were prepared by electrospinning a poly(vinylpyrrodine) (PVP)/ZrO₂ mixture for calcination to remove PVP template and sizing. The morphological, chemical, structural, and thermal resistance changes during preparation stages were investigated using scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. The obtained ZrO₂ clusters were used for preparation of nanocomposite membranes by dispersion in 2,6-pyridine polybenzimidazole (2,6-Py-PBI) matrix at 5?wt% content followed by phosphoric acid (PA) doping. The ZrO₂ nanoclusters were found to be uniformly distributed in 2,6-Py-PBI/PA matrix leading to a remarkable increase in the PA doping level and proton conductivity of the obtained composite membrane.     

Soluble carbon nanotubes and nanotube-polymer composites

For these two decade, tremendous amount of researches and developments dealing with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been carried out. Most of them are focusing on finding the unique and outstanding properties of CNTs and trying to utilizing them as the advanced materials. Whenever we start the research and the development of CNTs, the first difficulty is the dispersion of CNTs into the solvents since the CNTs form strong aggregation. Up to date, large efforts have been carried out for the preparation of CNT dispersion and the typical strategies are summarized. Such a dispersion technique allows us to use CNT as a material. Several applications of the CNT dispersion is also introduced.     

Design of an Assembly of Poly(benzimidazole), Carbon Nanotubes,and Pt Nanoparticles for a Fuel‐Cell Electrocatalyst with an Ideal Interfacial Nanostructure

A newly designed and fabricated novel nanocomposite composed of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), poly(benzimidazole) (PBI), and Pt nanoparticles. This composite is fabricated by the preparation of PBI‐wrapped MWNTs (MWNT/PBI), followed by Pt loading onto the MWNT/PBI. As a result of the PBI wrapping, the loading efficiency of the Pt nanoparticles onto the MWNTs is dramatically improved up to 58.8% compared to that of the pristine MWNTs (41.0%). The process also allows homogeneous Pt immobilization onto the surface of MWNTs without any strong oxidation process for the MWNTs that is typically used for metal supporting on carbon nanotubes. Far‐IR spectroscopy of the composite shows a peak from the Pt? N bonding, indicating that these improvements are derived from the coordination of the Pt ion with the PBI molecules. Cyclic voltammogram measurements reveal that the Pt nanoparticles deposited on the MWNT/PBI shows higher utilization efficiency (74%) for electrocatalysts compared to that on the pristine MWNT (39%).     

Self‐Organized Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotube Conducting Thin Films with Honeycomb Structures on Flexible Plastic Films

Complex 1, synthesized from anionic shortened single‐walled carbon nanotubes and cationic ammonium lipid dissolved in organic solvents, is cast on pretreated transparent flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films under a higher relative humidity to form thin films with self‐organized honeycomb structures. The cell sizes are controllable by changing the experimental conditions. The lipid, which is the cationic part of complex 1, is easily removed by a simple ion‐exchange method, while maintaining the basic honeycomb structures. After the ion exchange, the nanotube honeycomb films on PET with thinner skeletons exhibit a dramatic decrease in the surface resistivity from insulating to conducting. Carbon nanotubes with honeycomb structures formed by the self‐organization on flexible polymer films are useful in many areas of nanoscience and technology including nanomaterials, nanoelectronics, nanodevices, catalysts, sensors, and so on.     

Fuel Cell Electrocatalyst Using Polybenzimidazole‐Modified Carbon Nanotubes As Support Materials

Toward the next generation fuel cell systems, the development of a novel electrocatalyst for the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) is crucial to overcome the drawbacks of the present electrocatalyst. As a conductive supporting material for the catalyst, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged as a promising candidate, and many attempts have been carried out to introduce CNT, in place of carbon black. On the other hand, as a polymer electrolyte, polybenzimidazoles (PBIs) have been recognized as a powerful candidate due to the high proton conductivity above 100 °C under non‐humid conditions. In 2008, we found that these two materials have a strong physical interaction and form a stable hybrid material, in which the PBIs uniformly wrap the surfaces of the CNTs. Furthermore, PBIs serve as effective binding sites for the formation of platinum (Pt) nanoparticles to fabricate a ternary composite (CNT/PBIs/Pt). In this review article, we summarize the fundamental properties of the CNT/PBIs/Pt and discuss their potential as a new electrocatalyst for the PEFC in comparison with the conventional ones. Furthermore, potential applications of CNT/PBIs including use of the materials for oxygen reduction catalysts and reinforcement of PBI films are summarized.     

A method for the coating of silica spheres with an ultrathin layer of pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes

We describe a method to fabricate silica gel particles coated with a monolayer of pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). SWCNTs dissolved in 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) are mixed with amino-functionalized silica gels having different diameters. Strong interaction between the amino group and the SWCNT surfaces induces the adsorption of the SWCNTs on the silica, while the stable solvation in NMP hampers further adsorption of the tubes. This approach enables the production of a homogeneous, nondestructive and high-yield coating of the SWCNTs onto the silica surfaces, especially for larger sphere with a diameter over 1 μm. The density and bundling degree of the SWCNTs on the silica gel surfaces are finely controlled by simply changing the ratios of the SWCNTs to the silica gels as well as the SWCNT concentrations. We also describe the coating of the silica gels with metallic SWCNTs. The SWCNT-coated silica gels are useful for a wide range of materials, such as the stationary phase for liquid chromatography and catalyst supporting materials.     

A new photoresist based on hyperbranched poly(ary1ene ether phosphine oxide)

Summary Hydroxy-terminated hyperbranched poly(ary1ene ether phosphine oxide) (P2) was synthesized via nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction of AB, monomer, bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4'-fluorophenylphosphine oxide with K₂CO₃ as a base in NMP. The obtained polymer was dissolved well in NMP and DMSO, and casting of the solution gave a transparent film. The study on dissolution behavior of the film containing 10 wt% of diphenyliodonium-9,l0-dimethoxyanthracene-2-sulfonate (DIAS) as a photoacid generator and 25 wt% of 4,4'-methylenebis-[2,6-bis(hydroxymethylphenyl) phenol] (MBHP) as a cross linker revealed that 0.5 wt% aqueous tetramthylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution was a suitable developer for this negative-type photoresist system. The photoresist system containing 10 wt% of DIAS and 25 wt% of MBHP showed the sensitivity of 9 mJ/cm² and the contrast of 1.6 when it was exposed to 365 nm light and postbaked at 12O°C, followed by developing with 0.5 wt% aqueous TMAH solution at room temperature. The heat-treated (300°C, 30 min) negative image did not show any distortion. Received: 7 October 2002/Revised version: 10 December 2002/ Accepted: 11 December 2002 Correspondence to Sang youl Kim