Generic approach for dispersing single-walled carbon nanotubes: the strength of a weak interaction.
A generic noncovalent approach for dispersing high concentrations of individual single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) in organic as well as aqueous solutions of synthetic block copolymers is presented. It is suggested that a weak, long-ranged entropic repulsion among polymer-decorated tubes acts as a barrier that prevents the tubes from approaching the attractive part of the intertube potential. The method opens a new route for utilization of block copolymers as compatibilizers for SWNT, improving the incorporation of de-agglomerated SWNT into target polymeric matrixes.
Shvartzman-Cohen
Rina
R
Department of Chemical Engineering and Ilse Katz Center for Meso- and Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben Gurion University in the Negev, 84105 Beer Sheva, Israel.
Levi-Kalisman
Yael
Y
Nativ-Roth
Einat
E
Yerushalmi-Rozen
Rachel
R