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- Title
True solutions of single-walled carbon nanotubes for assembly into macroscopic materials.
- Authors
Davis, Virginia A.; Parra-Vasquez, A. Nicholas G.; Green, Micah J.; Rai, Pradeep K.; Behabtu, Natnael; Prieto, Valentin; Booker, Richard D.; Schmidt, Judith; Kesselman, Ellina; Wei Zhou; Hua Fan; Adams, W. Wade; Hauge, Robert H.; Fischer, John E.; Cohen, Yachin; Talmon, Yeshayahu; Smalley, Richard E.; Pasquali, Matteo
- Abstract
Translating the unique characteristics of individual single-walled carbon nanotubes into macroscopic materials such as fibres and sheets has been hindered by ineffective assembly. Fluid-phase assembly is particularly attractive, but the ability to dissolve nanotubes in solvents has eluded researchers for over a decade. Here, we show that single-walled nanotubes form true thermodynamic solutions in superacids, and report the full phase diagram, allowing the rational design of fluid-phase assembly processes. Single-walled nanotubes dissolve spontaneously in chlorosulphonic acid at weight concentrations of up to 0.5wt%, 1,000 times higher than previously reported in other acids. At higher concentrations, they form liquid-crystal phases that can be readily processed into fibres and sheets of controlled morphology. These results lay the foundation for bottom-up assembly of nanotubes and nanorods into functional materials.
- Subjects
CARBON nanotubes; NANOSTRUCTURED materials; NANOTUBES; PHYSICAL metallurgy; PHASE equilibrium
- Publication
Nature Nanotechnology, 2009, Vol 4, Issue 12, p830
- ISSN
1748-3387
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/nnano.2009.302