Morphology and electrical conductivity of poly(N-vinylcarbazole)/carbon nanotubes nanocomposite synthesized by solid state polymerization

This communication describes the morphology and DC conductivity of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PNVC)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposite. The nanocomposite has been synthesized by solid state in situ polymerization of N-vinylcarbazole (NVC) monomer in the presence of MWCNTs at an elevated temperature. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy studies reveal the ability of MWCNTs to promote the in situ polymerization of the NVC monomer. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) observations show the homogeneous wrapping of MWCNTs' outer surface by PNVC polymer. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images and Raman spectroscopy results support the SEM observations. Thermogravimetric analyses reveal a significant improvement of thermal stability of the nanocomposite sample in the higher temperature region. The resulting nanocomposite material exhibits a dramatic improvement of the DC conductivity inherent to the PNVC. For example, the DC conductivity increases from ≈5.9 × 10^-13 S •cm^-1 for PNVC to ≈12 S cm^-1 for the nanocomposite, an increase of about 10¹³ in the electrical conductivity.