Since their discovery in 1991, Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) have attracted much attention due to their superior mechanical, electrical and biological property. These physical properties are uniquely related to the diameter and chirality of SWNTs. For example, the SWNTs are classified as metallic and semi-conducting tubes on the basis of their chirality, which determines their electronic property. Herein we show that the metallic SWNTs of highly pure chirality can be separated effectively from the as-prepared raw nanotube mixture in a simple step. The method is using cellulose-supported polyethyleneimine as column packing, which exhibits different affinities toward semiconducting and metallic SWNTs. Separation by using the affinity chromatography provides a practical and simple approach to gain the access to the chiral metallic SWNT(s). Since the method has the potential for large scale purification, the experimental finding will thus facilitate the property study of the specific chiral SWNT.

One simple practical method to separate metallic single walled carbon nanotube

245th National Meeting (2013)

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