Abstract
Three wholly aromatic polyamide-hydrazides I-III containing various amounts of meta-/para-phenylene rings and their multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites have successfully been synthesized. These polymers were synthesized via a low-temperature solution polycondensation reaction of either meta-aminobenzhydrazide or para-aminobenzhydrazide (PABH) with an equimolar amount of isophthaloyl chloride (ICl) producing polymer I (100% meta-phenylene rings) and II (50% para-phenylene rings/50% meta-phenylene rings), respectively. The polymer III (75% para-phenylene rings/25% meta-phenylene rings) was synthesized by reacting PABH with mixture of equimolar ratios of terephthaloyl chloride and ICl. MWCNTs (0.1 wt%) have been incorporated into these three polymer matrices via a solution sonication technique. The structures of the polymers were confirmed by elemental analyses, Fourier-transform infrared, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The homogeneous distribution of the MWCNTs within the polymer matrices was proved by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy observations. Thermal and optical properties of the as-prepared polymers were being enhanced to some extent upon inclusion of MWCNTs as illustrated from the results of thermogravimetric analysis and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy.