Nanotube dispersants and dispersant free nanotube films therefrom

A nanotube (NT) dispersion, comprising:

• a plurality of NTs or NT equivalents, wherein the NTs or NT equivalents comprise single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), graphene sheets, or other graphene structures;
• a solvent comprising water, C1 to C6 alcohol, dichloromethane, tetrahydrofuran, ethyl acetate, acetone, dimethylformamide, acetonitrile, dimethylsulfoxide, hexane, benzene, toluene, chloroform, diethyl ether, or any combination thereof;
• and
• a degradable polymeric NT dispersant comprising a soluble polymer or copolymer having a polymer backbone with a multiplicity of repeating units comprising:
• an NT associative group comprising a polycyclic aromatic group capable of non-covalent association with an NT or other graphene structure;
• a linking group coupling the polymer backbone to the NT associative group;
• and
• at least one cleavable group residing in the polymer backbone or in the linking group, wherein the at least one cleavable group comprises a functional group that can be cleaved by a change in temperature, a change in illumination, addition of one or more chemicals, or any combination thereof, wherein each of the NT associative groups is separated from each other by at least one of the cleavable groups.

A nanotube (NT) dispersion, comprising:

• a plurality of NTs or NT equivalents, wherein the NTs or NT equivalents comprise single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), graphene sheets, or other graphene structures;
• a solvent;
• a degradable polymeric NT dispersant comprising a soluble polymer or copolymer having a polymer backbone with a multiplicity of repeating units comprising:
• an NT associative group comprising a polycyclic aromatic group capable of non-covalent association with an NT or other graphene structure;
• and
• a linking group coupling the polymer backbone to the NT associative group;
• and
• at least one cleavable group residing in the polymer backbone or in the linking group, wherein the at least one cleavable group comprises a functional group that can be cleaved by a change in temperature, a change in illumination, addition of one or more chemicals, or any combination thereof, wherein each of the NT associative groups is separated from each other by at least one of the cleavable groups;
• and
• a nanoparticle or microparticle.

A method of dispersing NTs, comprising:

• providing a plurality of NTs or NT equivalents;
• providing a degradable polymeric NT dispersant;
• and
• mixing the NTs or NT equivalents and the degradable polymeric NT dispersant in a solvent;
• wherein the degradable polymeric NT dispersant comprises a soluble polymer or copolymer comprising a polymer backbone with a multiplicity of repeating units comprising:
• a NT associative group comprising a polycyclic aromatic group capable of non-covalently association with a NT or other graphene structure;
• a linking group coupling the polymer backbone to the NT associative group;
• and
• at least one cleavable group residing in the polymer backbone or in the linking group, wherein each of the NT associative groups is separated from each other by at least one of the cleavable groups, and wherein the at least one cleavable group comprises a functional group comprising an acetal, ketal, silyl ester, silazane, anhydride, or ene.