Supervisors info:
Γεώργιος Σακελλαρίου Επίκουρος Καθηγητής (Επιβλέπων), Ερμόλαος Ιατρού Καθηγητής , Μαρίνος Πιτσικάλης Καθηγητής
Summary:
Carbon nanotubes have excellent electrical, optical, mechanical and other
properties. However, the inability of nanotubes to dissolve in common solvents
and their limited dispersion in the solid phase initially precluded their use
in some areas. This problem solved by the chemical and physical grafting of
small organic compounds and larger as polymers, thereby increasing their
applications. So here we present a “grafting to” process of
Polystyrene-1-benzocyclobutene-phenylethylene (PS-DPE-CB), synthesized by
anionic polymerization, to Single Wall Nanotubes (SWNTs) via [4 + 2]
Diels-Alder cycloaddition, between the DPE-CB (acts as diene) and the nanotubes
(acts as dienophiles), which is a powerful tool for covalent fuctionalization
of polymers to CNTs as an effective and convenient process which does not
destroy the nanomaterials.
Also, we tried to synthesize poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) through
polycondensation Kumada wherein benzocyclobutene used as initiator. This
initiator could be grafted to graphene oxide (GO) by cycloaddition [4 + 2]
Diels-Alder and thereafter be followed by “grafting from” of P3HT using a
nickel catalyst. This material could find use in organic photovoltaics uses
mainly, where the active layers of the semiconductors producing a morphology of
“optimal heterojunction” type, with a simultaneously tuneable band gap. In this
way, the main problem of low conversion efficiency presented by the classical
“bulk heterojunction” photovoltaics will be hopefully overcome.
All novel monomeric and polymeric materials synthesized have been extensively
characterized with regards to their chemical structure, as well as optical and
morphological properties via SEC, NMR, IR, UV-Vis, TGA and AFM techniques.
Keywords:
Carbon Nanotubes, Diels-Alder reaction, Grafting "to", Kumada polycondensation, Polythiophene
