Soluble ultra-short single-walled carbon nanotubes.
Soluble, ultra-short (length < 60 nm), carboxylated, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been prepared by a scalable process. This process, predicated on oleum's (100% H2SO4 with excess SO3) ability to intercalate between individual SWNTs inside SWNT ropes, is a procedure that simultaneously cuts and functionalizes SWNTs using a mixture of sulfuric and nitric acids. The solubility of these ultra-short SWNTs (US-SWNTs) in organic solvents, superacid and water is about 2 wt %. The availability of soluble US-SWNTs could open opportunities for forming high performance composites, blends, and copolymers without inhibiting their processibility.
Chen
Zheyi
Z
Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA.
Kobashi
Kazufumi
K
Rauwald
Urs
U
Booker
Richard
R
Fan
Hua
H
Hwang
Wen-Fang
WF
Tour
James M
JM
D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010316:Particle Size; D012995:Solubility; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry
D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D012997:Solvents