Abstract
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess unique mechanical, physical, electrical and absorbability properties coupled with their nanometer dimensional scale that renders them extremely valuable for applications in many fields including nanotechnology and chromatographic separation. The aim of this review is to provide an updated overview about the applications of CNTs in chiral and achiral separations of pharmaceuticals, biologics and chemicals. Chiral single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been directly applied for the enantioseparation of pharmaceuticals and biologicals by using them as stationary or pseudostationary phases in chromatographic separation techniques such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), capillary electrophoresis (CE) and gas chromatography (GC). Achiral MWCNTs have been used for achiral separations as efficient sorbent objects in solid-phase extraction techniques of biochemicals and drugs. Achiral SWCNTs have been applied in achiral separation of biological samples. Achiral SWCNTs and MWCNTs have been also successfully used to separate achiral mixtures of pharmaceuticals and chemicals. Collectively, functionalized CNTs have been indirectly applied in separation science by enhancing the enantioseparation of different chiral selectors whereas non-functionalized CNTs have shown efficient capabilities for chiral separations by using techniques such as encapsulation or immobilization in polymer monolithic columns.
Highlights
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are allotropes of carbon usually referred to graphite sheets which mainly consist of sp2-hybridized carbon atoms
It was reported that β-CD can be wrapped helically over the surface of Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on sonication which led to their solubility in aqueous solvents [62]
This attracted modification of MWCNTs with β-CD to investigate the ability of carbon nanotubes to enhance the chiral separation
Summary
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are allotropes of carbon usually referred to graphite sheets which mainly consist of sp2-hybridized carbon atoms. CNTs demonstrated chiral and achiral separation when used as stationary or pseudo-stationary phases in chiral modified chromatographic columns (Capillary Electrophoresis (CE), Gas Chromatography (GC) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)). Derivatization of CNTs has been widely applied in separation science to investigate the ability of CNTs to enhance chiral and achiral separations It is, important, to avoid damaging the pristine structure of CNTs to keep their physical, chemical and chiral properties. This review provides the most recent prospects to prepare CNTs with specific properties and the potential use of unmodified or functionalized CNTs for chiral and achiral separation in pharmaceutical, biological and environmental applications
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