Maleic anhydride functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes by the electron beam irradiation in the liquid media

In this work, maleic anhydride groups were introduced onto multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by electron beam treatment in liquid media. FTIR, XPS and Raman analysis showed that reactive groups were covalently attached to the MWNTs and the content of the active groups were determined by TGA. HRTEM characterization showed that a layer of maleic anhydride was wrapped on the surface of the MWNTs with thickness of ∼1.5 nm. It was proved that the one-step radiation grafting procedure was effective on functionalization of MWNTs.