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Purity and Solubility of Nanotubes in Arc Discharge Carbon Powder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

Jonathan N. Coleman
Affiliation:
Materials Ireland Polymer Research Centre, Department of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Alan B. Dalton
Affiliation:
Materials Ireland Polymer Research Centre, Department of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Brendan McCarthy
Affiliation:
Materials Ireland Polymer Research Centre, Department of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Robert C. Barklie
Affiliation:
Materials Ireland Polymer Research Centre, Department of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Werner J. Blau
Affiliation:
Materials Ireland Polymer Research Centre, Department of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
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Abstract

We have described a novel experimental technique to separate nanotubes from other unwanted carbon species in arc generated carbon soot. A conjugated polymer was used to bind to nanotubes in solution. The resultant hybrid was soluble while extraneous carbon material formed a sediment at the bottom of the sample bottle. This process was monitored using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) which showed that 63% of nanotubes were kept in solution while 98.1% of impurities were rejected. This allowed the calculation of the nanotube content in the carbon soot using EPR and thermo-gravitational analysis (TGA) yielding a purity value of 34% for the soot used in this study. This is compatible with estimates made using electron microscopy.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2001

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