Small-angle X-ray scattering of single-wall carbon nanotubes dispersed in molten poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The scattered intensity at small angles by samples consisting of different concentrations of single-wall carbon nanotubes dispersed in molten poly(ethylene terephthalate) has been studied using synchrotron radiation. The scattered intensity follows a power law, characteristic of the scattering by fractal objects, which can be interpreted as due to the presence of branched rope-like structures of bundled nanotubes precluding the existence of isolated carbon nanotubes.