Abstract
Surfactants are widely used to stabilize single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and many other nanomaterials to facilitate their solution processing and device integration. However, it is notoriously difficult to subsequently remove these molecules when they are no longer needed. Methods to remove surfactant, including rinsing with organic solvents, acidic oxidation and annealing at high temperature, are inefficient to recover their intrinsic electrical and optical properties or even damage these nanomaterials. Here, we report the synthesis of a new carbon nanotube surfactant that can be cleanly removed by a two-step post-annealing process at a relatively low temperature. Additionally, this tailored surfactant is as efficient as sodium deoxycholate at individually dispersing SWCNTs in water. The insight may help guide the choice or design of surfactants for nanomaterials applications such as sensors, printed electronics, and high performance devices, where the clean removal of the dispersant is key to enhanced performance.
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