Abstract Submitted to the    NANOTUBE'04 Conference:

Dispersion of carbon nanotubes in fluid medium is a crucial step in the successful production of applicable products that may exhibit their superior properties. We study the interactions of stable aqueous dispersions of single-walled carbon nanotubes using three different dispersing agents: a linear amphiphilic alternating ionic copolymer, a nonionic surfactant and highly branched natural (ionic) polysaccharide. The dispersions were characterized using cryo-transmission electron microscopy and small angles neutron scattering with contrast variation. The objective is to recognize different modes of structural associations between the dispersing agent and the nanotubes and to evaluate quantitative parameters of the dispersions such as mean diameter of the dispersed bundles, thickness of the adsorbed layer etc. The electrospinning process was used successfully to fabricate nanofibers of poly(ethylene oxide) in which carbon nanotubes are embedded. The degrees of orientation of po lymer, dispersant and nanotubes were studied using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the quality of the dispersion has a key roll in the ability of the electrospinning process to incorporated individual nanotubes in an oriented manner into the nanofibers.