SOLUBILITY IMPROVEMENT AND SURFACE FUNCTIONALIZATION OF MULTI-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES BY A THIOL-FUNCTIONALIZED POLY(PHENYLACETYLENE) DERIVATIVE

A thiol-functionalized poly(phenylacetylene) has been synthesized and characterized. The disappearance of the characteristic vibrations at 3312 and 776 cm^-1 (C=C-H) and 2106 cm^-1 (C=C), together with the vanishing of the chemical shifts at 3.0 (C=C-H) and the appearance of the chemical shifts at 6.4 (C = C-H) indicate the polymerization of the thiol-containing monomer. The hybrid of thiol-functionalized poly-(phenylacetylene) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) showed good solubility in organic solvents. Meanwhile, the wrapping of the polymer chains on MWNTs led to the surface functionalization. By aid of the interactions between thiol groups and zinc cations, ZnO nanoparticles were assembled onto out-shells of the hybrids. These results suggested a novel route to the fabrication of multi-component nanostructures.