The effect of plasma equipment oxygen plasma treatment on the surface functionalization of carbon nanotubes:
Carbon nanotubes are also called bucky paper, and the diameter of carbon nanotubes is generally 2-20nm. Carbon nanotubes have a wide range of applications in composite materials, sensors and solar cells due to their good mechanical properties and excellent electrical conductivity.
The unique hollow structure of carbon nanotubes is very conducive to the adsorption of dye sensitizers. However, due to the strong ππ double bond binding force between the carbon nanotube molecules, the agglomeration phenomenon is serious, the self-dissolving performance is not good, and the dispersion performance in organic solvents is poor, which has certain restrictions on its application, so it is necessary to The carbon nanotubes are functionalized.

can the dispersion performance of carbon nanotubes in organic solution be improved, but also the surface activity of carbon nanotubes can be improved, and the reaction of carbon nanotubes with other compounds can be promoted.
Commonly used mixed acid treatment methods use strong oxidizing acids, such as HNO3 and H2SO, to achieve the purpose of modification by adding oxygen-containing functional groups such as hydroxyl and carboxyl groups on the surface of carbon nanotubes. However, the waste liquid produced by this method will pollute the environment, take a long time, and cause damage to the structure of the carbon nanotubes themselves.
Compared with the traditional mixed acid treatment method, plasma equipment treatment technology not only has the advantages of environmental protection, energy saving and time saving, but also can choose different gases and add different kinds of functional groups on the surface of carbon nanotubes to achieve the purpose of improving performance.
The results of oxygen plasma treatment of carbon nanotubes show that oxygen plasma treatment with plasma equipment significantly improves the chemical activity of the surface of carbon nanotubes and is an effective modification treatment method.
The carbon nanotube suspension without oxygen plasma treatment has obvious stratification, and the dispersion effect is not good. The dispersibility of the treated carbon nanotubes is obviously improved.
This is because there is a strong Van der Waals force between the untreated carbon nanotube molecules, and the reunion phenomenon is serious. The plasma equipment oxygen plasma cleaning machine after treatment weakened this force. The diameter of carbon nanotubes is uniform and agglomeration rarely occurs, which further shows that the oxygen plasma technology has successfully modified the carbon nanotubes without causing damage to the carbon nanotube matrix.
After being processed by plasma equipment and oxygen plasma cleaner, the surface of carbon nanometers is effectively grafted with oxygen-containing functional groups. As an unstable gas in a highly excited state, plasma can chemically react with the carbon nanotubes in the quartz cavity. It applies energy to the carbon nanotubes in the form of accelerated electrons or ions to enhance the surface activation and generate free radicals. The carbon nanotubes further react with the introduced oxygen to generate oxygen-containing functional groups.
Oxygen plasma treatment can effectively increase the surface activity of carbon nanotubes and improve their dispersion in organic solvents. The agglomeration of modified carbon nanotubes is significantly reduced, which improves the application of the product!