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Spectroscopic Investigations On Polypropylene-Carbon Nanofiber Composites: I. Raman And Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy, Mircea Chipara, John R. Villarreal, Magdalena Dorina Chipara, Karen Lozano, Alin Cristian Chipara, David J. Sellmyer

David Sellmyer Publications

Isotactic polypropylene-vapor grown carbon nanofiber composites containing various fractions of carbon nanofibers, ranging from 0 to 20 wt %, have been prepared. Raman spectroscopy was used to analyze the effect of the dispersion of carbon nanofibers within polypropylene and the interactions between carbon nanofibers and macromolecular chains. The as-recorded Raman spectra have been successfully fitted by a linear convolution of Lorentzian lines. Changes of the Raman lines parameters (position, intensity, width, and area) of polypropylene and carbon nanofibers were analyzed in detail. The Raman spectra of the polymeric matrix—at low concentrations of nanofibers—show important modifications that indicate strong interactions between …