Abstract
In this study, it was attempted to increase the electrical conductivity of polyimide (PI) by adding multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNT), mainly because the high aspect ratio carbon nanotubes can reduce resistance and enhance antistatic ability to meet electrostatic charge (ESC) criteria of polymer hybrid films. MWNT were modified successfully with a sodium salt of 6-aminohexanoic acid (Na-AHA), which has been verified by FTIR and TEM observations. During the blending process, the PI/MWNT composites thus produced were compared with unmodified MWNT to study the miscibility and interaction among the components. The homogeneous dispersion of the non-covalently modified MWNT (Na-AHA-CNT) promoted the thermal and electrical conductivity properties of PI composite films. The results are compared with those of PI composites with acid-modified and unmodified MWNT.