Abstract
Lack of necessary degree of control over carbon nanotube (CNT) structure has remained a major impediment factor for making significant advances using this material since it was discovered. Recently, a wide range of promising sorting methods emerged as an antidote to this problem, all of which unfortunately have a multistep nature. Here we report that desired type of CNTs can be targeted and isolated in a single step using modified aqueous two-phase extraction. We achieve this by introducing hydration modulating agents, which are able to tune the arrangement of surfactants on their surface, and hence make selected CNTs highly hydrophobic or hydrophilic. This allows for separation of minor chiral species from the CNT mixture with up to 99.7 ± 0.02% selectivity without the need to carry out any unnecessary iterations. Interestingly, our strategy is also able to enrich the optical emission from CNTs under selected conditions.
Highlights
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) of defined chiral index are a very promising material for many optical applications ranging from optical sensors1, photothermal therapy2 to light emitters at telecom wavelengths3
PL measurements showed that the strongest signals come from [7,6] CNTs, which are the most abundant fraction as measured by absorbance spectroscopy
Observed diameter distribution gauged by Raman spectroscopy and recalculated from chiral indices17, centred at 0.9 nm, falls within the values given by the manufacturer for this sample (0.8–1.2 nm)
Summary
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) of defined chiral index are a very promising material for many optical applications ranging from optical sensors1, photothermal therapy2 to light emitters at telecom wavelengths3. Stepwise change of surfactant concentration enables one to separate particular CNT types with single-chirality resolution. For the first time, we demonstrate a new approach, which enables separation of nearly monochiral semiconducting SWCNT fractions in just a single step.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
