Aqueous Dispersions of Carbon Nanotubes with Self-assembled Micelles of Photosensitive Amphiphilic Random Copolymer Containing Coumarin

A general approach toward dispersing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in aqueous solution was reported by using photosensitive micelles as dispersant. Micelles are made from a novel photo-crosslinkable amphiphilic random copolymer P(St/VM-co-MA), which first self-assembled around carbon nanotubes in selective solvent (DMF/H2O) and then underwent photo-crosslinking to generate micelle-encapsulated carbon nanotubes. It was found that the photo-crosslinked micelle-encapsulated carbon nanotubes could form a very stable suspension in aqueous solution, indicating the micelles are effective for dispersing carbon nanotubes.