This paper explores the potential application of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the construction industry, as CNTs can effectively serve as nano-fillers, bridging the voids and holes in cement structures. However, the limited dispersibility of CNTs in water necessitates the use of dispersing agents for achieving uniform dispersion. In this study, two kinds of cement superplasticizers, polycarboxylate ether (PCE) and sulfonated naphthalene formaldehyde (SNF) were employed as dispersing agents to improve the interfacial affinity between CNTs and cement, and to enhance the strength of the cement nanocomposites. Contact angle experiments revealed that the utilization of PCE and SNF effectively addressed the interface issues between CNTs and cement. As a result, the cement nanocomposite with a CNT to PCE ratio of 1:2 exhibited an approximately 6.6% increase in compressive strength (73.05 MPa), while the CNT:SNF 1:2 cement composite showed a 4.7% increase (71.72 MPa) compared to plain cement (68.52 MPa). In addition, the rate of crack generation in cement nanocomposites with CNTs and dispersing agents was found to be slower than that of plain cement. The resulting cement nanocomposites, characterized by enhanced strength and durability, can be utilized as safer materials in the construction industry.

Thermal management is significant to maintain the reliability and durability of electronic devices. Heat can be dissipated using thermal interface materials (TIMs) comprised of thermally conductive polymers and fillers. Furthermore, it is important to enhance the thermal conductivity of TIMs through the formation of a heat transfer pathway. This paper reports a polymer composite containing vertically aligned electrochemically exfoliated graphite (EEG). We modify the EEG via edge selective oxidation to decorate the surface with iron oxides and enhance the dispersibility of EEG in polymer resin. During the heat treatment and curing process, a magnetic field is applied to the polymer composites to align the iron oxide decorated EEG. The resulting polymer composite containing 25 wt% of filler has a remarkable thermal conductivity of 1.10 W m− 1 K− 1 after magnetic orientation. These results demonstrate that TIM can be designed with a small amount of filler by magnetic alignment to form an efficient heat transfer pathway.

In order to extend the business viability of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), research on CNT dispersion in a solvent as well as in polymer matrix should be established. Herein, three kinds of dispersing agents, sodium deoxycholate (DOC), sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (NaDDBS), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), are selected and applied to quantify the dispersibility and dispersion stability of CNT aqueous dispersion. The dispersibility of CNT dispersion with the PVP, evaluated via viscosity and particle size analyses, are superior to those with the DOC and NaDDBS dispersing agents. CNT aqueous solution dispersed with PVP showed slightly higher viscosity and narrower particle size distribution than those with DOC and NaDDBS dispersing agents. In addition, the dispersion stability of CNT dispersion with the PVP, measured via lumisizer analyses, are superior to those with the DOC and NaDDBS dispersing agents. HR-TEM analysis verifies that the outstanding dispersibility and dispersion stability of CNTs in aqueous solution are due to the effect of the robust polymer wrapping of the PVP dispersing agent on the CNT surface. From the results of this study, the guidelines for the selection of the suitable dispersing agents and the systematic evaluation of dispersibility and dispersion stability of CNT dispersions can be suggested.

Among various methods to produce graphene sheets, electrochemical exfoliation has been regarded as an effective method for the mass production of high-quality graphene sheets because of its simplicity and environmental friendliness. However, conventional electrochemical exfoliation has a disadvantage of accumulating intercalating ions at graphite interlayers owing to the use of a constant voltage. In this study, we developed a DC switching technique to achieve more efficient intercalation of ions than that in the conventional method. In the DC switching method, positive and negative voltages are successively applied to release the accumulated intercalating ions. By testing various conditions, we found the optimum switching time to produce high-quality graphene sheets with the highest yield rate and the highest electrical conductivity. As a result, the graphene sheets using this DC switching technique showed 85% higher yield rate, 193% higher electrical conductivity, 160% larger area, and 25% thinner thickness than those obtained when using a constant DC method. We believe that this DC switching technique can be used for large-scale production of high-quality graphene sheets.

High-quality and solution processable graphene sheets are produced by a simple electrochemical exfoliation method and employed as a high-power anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The electrochemically exfoliated graphene (EEG) composed of a few layers of graphene sheets, have low oxygen content and high C/O ratio (~ 14.9). The LIBs with EEG anode exhibit ultrafast lithium storage and excellent cycling stability, but low initial efficiency. The excellent rate capability and cycling stability are attributed to the favorable structural and chemical properties of the EEG, but the large irreversibility needs to be overcome for practical applications.