Synthesis of a poly(amidoamine) dendrimer having a 1,10-bis(decyloxy)decane core and its use in fabrication of carbon nanotube/calcium carbonate hybrids through biomimetic mineralization

A new dendritic dispersant of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was synthesized and applied for the noncovalent functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The 1,10-bis(decyloxy)decane core of the poly(amidoamine) dendrimer strongly adhered to the sidewalls of CNTs to form CNT/dendrimer supramolecular nanocomposites having many carboxyl groups (-COOH) on the surface. Then, crystallization of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) by the CO₂ diffusion technique in aqueous environments using the CNT/dendrimer supramolecular nanocomposites as scaffolds afforded monodisperse spherical CNT/CaCO₃ nanohybrids consisting of CNTs and calcite nanocrystals. The morphologies of the SWCNT/CaCO₃ hybrids and MWCNT/CaCO₃ hybrids were almost the same.