Quantifying the semiconducting fraction in single-walled carbon nanotube samples through comparative atomic force and photoluminescence microscopies.
A new method was used to measure the fraction of semiconducting nanotubes in various as-grown or processed single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) samples. SWCNT number densities were compared in images from near-IR photoluminescence (semiconducting species) and AFM (all species) to compute the semiconducting fraction. The results show large variations among growth methods and effective sorting by density gradient ultracentrifugation. This counting-based method provides important information about SWCNT sample compositions that can guide controlled growth methods and help calibrate bulk characterization techniques.
Naumov
Anton V
AV
Department of Chemistry, and Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA.
Kuznetsov
Oleg A
OA
Harutyunyan
Avetik R
AR
Green
Alexander A
AA
Hersam
Mark C
MC
Resasco
Daniel E
DE
Nikolaev
Pavel N
PN
Weisman
R Bruce
RB
D008163:Luminescent Measurements / Q000379:methods*; D008422:Materials Testing; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000379:methods*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D012666:Semiconductors; D013499:Surface Properties
D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon