title: Direct Imaging of Carbon Nanotube Liquid-Crystalline Phase Development in True Solutions.
abstract: Using direct-imaging cryogenic transmission and scanning electron microscopy, we show different stages of liquid-crystalline phase development in progressively more concentrated solutions of carbon nanotubes in chlorosulfonic acid: a dilute phase of individually dissolved carbon nanotubes; semidilute and concentrated isotropic phases; coexisting concentrated isotropic and nematic phases in local equilibrium with each other; and a fully liquid-crystalline phase. Nanometric resolution of cryogenic electron microscopy reveals carbon nanotube self-assembly into liquid-crystalline domains of several nanometers in width at very early stages. We find significant differences in carbon nanotube liquid-crystalline domain morphology as a function of the carbon nanotube aspect ratio, diameter, and degree of purity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI), Technion - Israel Institute of Technology , Haifa 3200003, Israel.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7139-0999
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kleinerman
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI), Technion - Israel Institute of Technology , Haifa 3200003, Israel.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liberman
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, and the Smalley-Curl Institute, Rice University , 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.
authors.forename: Natnael
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Behabtu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Materials Science & NanoEngineering, and the Smalley-Curl Institute, Rice University , 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pasquali
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI), Technion - Israel Institute of Technology , Haifa 3200003, Israel.
authors.forename: Yachin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI), Technion - Israel Institute of Technology , Haifa 3200003, Israel.
authors.forename: Yeshayahu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Talmon