The separation of metallic and semiconducting fractions of as prepared single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) suspensions is of great interest for their inclusion in a wide variety of devices. A commonly used method to produce large scale separations of the two fractions is a column-based, through interaction with agarose gels. Prior studies have correctly attributed the mechanism of separation as the selective adsorption of semiconducting SWCNTs to the agarose gels. However, few details of the forces driving this selective adsorption are understood.In this study, the driving forces at play during the separation of sodium dodecyl sulfate suspended SWCNTs in contact with agarose gels are probed using a combination of non-equilibrium (column) and equilibrium (batch) studies. Forces examined include ionic interaction, hydrophobic interaction, and more specifically, ? � ? interaction. Experimental results give new insight into the driving forces responsible for the selective adsorption of semiconducting SWCNTs suggesting that ion-dipole interactions between SDS-SWCNTs and hydroxyl groups on the agarose gel backbone are responsible for the separation. Furthermore, it is proposed that the selectivity of separation is driven by the inherent differences in polarizability between the metallic and semiconducting species.

Interactive forces between SDS-suspended single-wall carbon nanotubes and agarose gels

246th National Meeting (2013)

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