Preparation and Characterization of Water-Soluble Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Hybridization with Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Derivatives

Abstract

Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) hybrids were prepared through noncovalent functionalization with pyrene-containing hydroxypropyl cellulose derivatives (HPC-Py) that were synthesized by simple condensation and substitution reactions. The obtained SWNT hybrids were structurally characterized with UV−vis, fluorescence, ATR FT-IR, and Raman spectroscopies. The prepared SWNT hybrids were soluble in water with good storage stability, and their statistical average size was approximately 260 nm. The hybridization extent of the SWNTs was dependent on the content of pyrene moieties in HPC-Py. The hydroxypropyl cellulose attached to the surface of the SWNTs was hydrolyzable or removable by cellulases, whereas the SWNTs underwent no structural changes during the enzymatic treatment.