title: Increased solubility, liquid-crystalline phase, and selective functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotube polyelectrolyte dispersions.
abstract: The solubility of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) polyelectrolytes [K(THF)]nSWCNT in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was determined by a combination of centrifugation, UV-vis spectral properties, and solution extraction. The SWCNT formed a liquid crystal at a concentration above 3.8 mg/mL. Also, crown ether 18-crown-6 was found to increase the solubility of the SWCNT polyelectrolytes in DMSO. Raman spectroscopy and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence analyses were applied to study the functionalization of SWCNTs. Small-diameter SWCNTs were found to be preferentially functionalized when the SWCNT polyelectrolytes were dispersed in DMSO.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Richard E Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.
authors.forename: Chengmin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Avishek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saha
authors.forename: Changsheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: Colin C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Tour
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pasquali
authors.forename: Angel A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Martí
mesh_terms: D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide / Q000737:chemistry; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D012995:Solubility
chemical_list: D004573:Electrolytes; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide