Search

Structural control of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with uniform properties is critical not only for their property modulation and functional design but also for applications in electronics, optics, and optoelectronics. To achieve this goal, various separation techniques have been developed in the past 20 years through which separation of high-purity semiconducting/metallic SWCNTs, single-chirality species, and even their enantiomers have been achieved. This progress has promoted the property modulation of SWCNTs and the development of SWCNT-based optoelectronic devices. Here, the recent advances in the structure separation of SWCNTs are reviewed, from metallic/semiconducting SWCNTs, to single-chirality species, and to enantiomers by several typical separation techniques and the application of the corresponding sorted SWCNTs. Based on the separation procedure, efficiency, and scalability, as well as, the separable SWCNT species, purity, and quantity, the advantages and disadvantages of various separation techniques are compared. Combined with the requirements of SWCNT application, the challenges, prospects, and development direction of structure separation are further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The selective interaction is systematically explored between the surfactants (sodium deoxycholate (DOC), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and sodium cholate (SC)) and the single‐wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by the gel chromatography technique. The results show that DOC preferentially interacts with small‐diameter semiconducting SWCNTs (S‐SWCNTs), exhibiting the strongest interaction strength for the SWCNTs, and the highest structural selectivity. The surfactant SC shows high selectivity toward the chiral angles of the SWCNTs. Its interaction strength and structural recognition ability are slightly higher than that of SDS but lower than that of DOC. Combining with the proved selectivity of SDS in the adsorption onto the S‐SWCNTs with small CC bond curvature, it is discovered that the synergistic effect of the triple surfactants amplified the interaction difference among the different SWCNTs and the gel, and thus dramatically improved the separation efficiency and structural purity of the SWCNTs, achieving the separation of distinct (n, m) single‐chirality species and their enantiomers in one step. This work not only provides deeper insights into the separation mechanism of SWCNTs with the surfactant sorting techniques, but also has a profound significance in studying the interaction between the SWCNTs and other small molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]