Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
Gum arabic (GA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were used to stabilize relatively high concentration mixtures of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in water. Viscosity and electrical conductivity data, along with electron microscopy, suggest that PVP interacts much more strongly with nanotubes than GA does. This strong PVP-SWNT relationship results in better dispersion of the nanotubes, resulting in lower electrical conductivity, but may enhance mechanical behavior in polymer-matrix composites.