Tailoring aqueous solubility of functionalized single-wall carbon nanotubes over a wide pH range through substituent chain length.
Carboxylic acid-functionalized SWNTs prepared via the reaction of an amino acid, NH2(CH2)nCO2H, with fluoronanotubes show similar levels of sidewall functionalization; however, the solubility in water is controlled by the length of the hydrocarbon side chain (i.e., n). The 6-aminohexanoic acid derivative is soluble in aqueous solution (0.5 mg mL(-1)) between pH 4 and 11, whereas the glysine and 11-aminoundecanoic acid derivatives are insoluble across all pH values.
Zeng
Liling
L
Department of Chemistry and Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA.
Zhang
Lei
L
Barron
Andrew R
AR
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D000614:Aminocaproates; D015119:Aminocaproic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D012995:Solubility; D012996:Solutions
D000596:Amino Acids; D000614:Aminocaproates; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D012996:Solutions; C023820:11-aminoundecanoic acid; D015119:Aminocaproic Acid