With the advent of nanotechnology, there is the possibility of contamination of water resources with nanoparticles. While hydrophillic particles disperse easily in water, it is possible that hydrophobic particles may stabilize in presence of solvents. The possibility of anti-solvent precipitation of Octadecylamine functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-ODA), where water acts as an anti-solvent is presented.Colloidal behavior was studied using a dynamic light scattering and particle aggregation was found to increase with the addition of electrolytes, with Tetrahydrofuran (THF) and Ethanol showing the maximum effect. This material forms highly stable dispersions in different water/solvent systems, and the particle sizes ranged from 170 to 400nm. The aggregation behavior of the antisolvent precipitated system did not follow the conventional Derjaguin�Landau�Verwey�Overbeek (DLVO) theory, which was different from what has been reported previously for hydrophilic, water soluble f-CNTs. Based on this study, it is evident that hydrophobic f-CNTs are potential water pollutants.

Stable carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as potential water pollutants

244th National Meeting (2012)

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