Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were non-covalently modified by two categories of ionic liquids (ILs), including 1-vinyl-3-ethylimidazole bromide (VEIMBr) and 1-vinyl-3-hexylimidazole bromide (VHIMBr) in the ratio of 1:1 and 1:4, respectively. The surface interaction between CNTs and ILs was well-characterized by FTIR, Raman spectra, XPS, etc. Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) containing different amounts of CNTs/ILs was fabricated by melting blending method. TPU-CNTs/ILs composites exhibited simultaneously enhanced electromechanical properties with improved dielectric constant and lowered elastic modulus. The electromechanical sensitivity of sample TPU-3CNT/12VHIMBr increased by approximately 45 times in comparison with that of pure TPU at 200 Hz. Besides, improved dispersion of CNTs/ILs in the TPU matrix was also exhibited. Graphical abstract The cationic-π/π–π interaction existing between the surface of CNTs and the imidazole ring of ILs benefited the dispersion of CNTs in the TPU.

中文翻译：

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离子液体改性的多壁碳纳米管改善热塑性聚氨酯复合材料的机电性能

碳纳米管（CNT）被两类离子液体（IL）进行非共价改性，包括1-乙烯基-3-乙基咪唑溴化物（VEIMBr）和1-乙烯基-3-己咪唑溴化物（VHIMBr），其比例为1： 1和1：4。通过FTIR，拉曼光谱，XPS等表征了CNT与IL之间的表面相互作用。通过熔融共混法制备了不同含量的CNT / IL的热塑性聚氨酯（TPU）。TPU-CNTs / ILs复合材料同时表现出增强的机电性能，同时具有改善的介电常数和较低的弹性模量。与纯TPU在200 Hz时相比，样品TPU-3CNT / 12VHIMBr的机电灵敏度提高了约45倍。此外，还显示出CNT / IL在TPU基质中的分散性得到改善。