Aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes array electrode:Fabrication,characterization and application

In the presence of 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride(EDC)and N-hydroxysuccinimide(NHS), carboxylic group-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWNTs)were assembled vertically on the glassy carbon electrode using ethylenediamine as linking agent to fabricate an aligned electrode(SWNTE).The morphological characteristic was studied with atomic force microscope(AFM)and its electrochemical property was investigated using K_3[Fe(CN)_6]as probe. ssDNA had a sensitive voltammetr...     

Gas-phase Diels-Alder cycloaddition of benzyne to an aromatic hydrocarbon bay region: Groundwork for the selective solvent-free growth of armchair carbon nanotubes

Benzyne, generated in the gas phase by pyrolysis of phthalic anhydride, has been shown to undergo Diels-Alder cycloaddition to the bay region of perylene, a typical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, under solvent-free conditions in a high temperature flow system. The initial cycloadduct spontaneously loses two hydrogen atoms, thereby rearomatizing to give naphtho[1,2,3,4-ghi]perylene. Analogous Diels-Alder cycloadditions of benzyne to bay regions on the rims of suitable cylindrical hydrocarbon templates, when followed by rearomatizations and thermal cyclodehydrogenations to join adjacent benzo groups, are proposed as key steps for a directed chemical synthesis of uniform diameter armchair carbon nanotubes.     

A biosensing platform based on horseradish peroxidase immobilized onto chitosan-wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes

One-step, diameter-selective dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) has been accomplished through noncovalent complexation of the nanotubes with a water-soluble, biocompatible polymer chitosan at room temperature. Such chitosan-wrapped individual SWCNTs can be used for the immobilization of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and be used to construct an electrode for direct bioelectrochemical sensing without an electron mediator. The direct electron transfer between HRP and the electrode surface was observed with a formal potential of approximately −0.35 V (vs. saturated calomel electrode) in phosphate buffer solution and the calculated heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant is approximately 23.5 s⁻¹. Experimental results indicate that the immobilized HRP retains its catalytic activity for the reduction of nitric oxide. Such an HRP–SWCNT–chitosan-based biosensor exhibited a rapid response time of less than 6 s and a good linear detection range for nitrite concentration, from 25 to 300 μM with a detection limit of 3 μM. The apparent Michaelis–Menten constant (K _m) and the maximum electrode sensitivity (i_max/K _m) are found to be 7.0 mM and 0.16 μA mM⁻¹, respectively. Both the unique electrical properties of SWCNTs and biocompatibility of chitosan enable the construction of an excellent biosensing platform for improved electrocatalysis of HRP, allowing, specifically, the detection of trace levels of nitric oxide.     

High-speed countercurrent chromatography for purification of single-walled carbon nanotubes

A new chromatographic purification of single-walled carbon nanotubes using high-speed countercurrent chromatography is reported. The purification was accomplished on the basis of experiment that dispersed the single-walled carbon nanotubes with sodium dodecyl sulfate, and the result mixture was separated using the two phase system composed of n-butanol/water = 1/1 （v/v）. The sizes of SWNTs separated were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The results demonstrated that the high-speed countercurrent chromatography possessed a good efficency for purification of single-walled carbon nanotubes.     

Covalent immobilization of single-walled carbon nanotubes and single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid nanocomposites on glassy carbon electrode: Preparation, characterization, and applications

Single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA)-wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were modified on the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by covalent modification technique. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and cyclic voltammetric (CV) were used to characterize the properties of this modified electrode. The results showed that SWNTs-ssDNA composites were successfully immobilized onto the surface of GCE. Moreover, this modified electrode exhibited high stability, largely active areas, and efficiently electrocatalytic activities. It had been used for the analysis of various biomolecules, such as dopamine (DA), uric acid (UA), and ascorbic acid (AA), and the results were satisfactory.     

Covalent functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes with polytyrosine: Characterization and analytical applications for the sensitive quantification of polyphenols

This work reports the synthesis and characterization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) covalently functionalized with polytyrosine (Polytyr); the critical analysis of the experimental conditions to obtain the efficient dispersion of the modified carbon nanotubes; and the analytical performance of glassy carbon electrodes (GCE) modified with the dispersion (GCE/SWCNT-Polytyr) for the highly sensitive quantification of polyphenols. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration plot for the amperometric response of gallic acid (GA) shows a linear range between 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ and 1.7 × 10⁻⁴ M, with a sensitivity of (518 ± 5) m AM⁻¹ cm⁻², and a detection limit of 8.8 nM. The proposed sensor was successfully used for the determination of total polyphenolic content in tea extracts.     

Development of an acetylspiramycin sensor based on a single-walled carbon nanotubes film electrode

A simple and sensitive sensor is described for the determination of acetylspiramycin (ASPM) based on a single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs)-dihexadecyl hydrogen phosphate (DHP) film coated glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Compared with a bare GCE, the SWNTs-DHP film modified GCE exhibits excellent enhancement effects on the electrochemical oxidation of ASPM. A well-defined oxidation peak of ASPM occurs at 0.89 V in 0.1 mol·L⁻¹ phosphate buffer (pH 5.5), which was used to determine ASPM. The electrochemical behavior of ASPM at the SWNTs-DHP modified GCE was examined by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The experimental parameters were optimized and a direct electrochemical method for the determination of ASPM is proposed. Under optimum conditions, the oxidation peak current is linear to the concentration of ASPM in the range of 5.0–100 μg·mL⁻¹, with a detection limit of 1 μg·mL⁻¹. The SWNTs-DHP film modified electrode also provides an efficient way of eliminating interferences from some inorganic species in the solution. This sensor was successfully utilized to determine ASPM in drugs.     

Ring formation mechanism of single-walled carbon nanotubes: Energy conservation between curvature elasticity and inter-tube adhesion

Rings of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) exist widely during water evaporation from their dispersions at low concentration on such substrates as silica wafer. We examine the phenomenon in terms of energy conservation between the increased significant curvature energy and the inherent inter-tube van der Waals (vdW) attraction potentials. And thereby, the observed multi ring structures for coarse and long SWNT bundles have also gained detailed interpretation. We conclude that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coil into rings by their own elastic mechanism. The formed rings with different width and diameters originate from appropriate sizes of SWNTs or the bundles. Specially, the associated elasticity may have prospective potentials to reveal other fascinating self-assembling phenomenon on CNTs, for instance, the known liquid crystallinity of them. Besides, we have also analyzed the external factors to the ring formation, both statistically and dynamically.     

Preparation of solid-phase microextraction fiber coated with single-walled carbon nanotubes by electrophoretic deposition and its application in extracting phenols from aqueous samples

A novel solid-phase microextraction (SPME) Pt fiber coated with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) was prepared by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) and applied to the determination of phenols in aqueous samples by direct immersion (DI)-SPME-HPLC-UV. The results revealed that EPD was a simple and reproducible technique for the preparation of SPME fibers coated with SWCNTs without the use of adhesive. The obtained SWCNT coating did not swell in organic solvents nor strip off from substrate, and possessed high mechanical strength due to the strong Van der Waals attractions between the surfaces of the SWCNTs. The prepared SPME fiber was conductive since both SWCNT coating and Pt wire were conductive. Using Pt wire as substrate, the fiber was unbreakable. Owing to the presence of oxygenated groups on SWCNTs and the high surface area of SWCNTs, the SWCNT fiber was similar to or superior to commercial PA fiber in extracting the studied phenols from aqueous sample. A durability of more than 80 analyses was achieved for one unique fiber. Under optimized conditions, the detection limits for the phenols varied between 0.9 and 3.8 ng/mL, the precisions were in the range of 0.7–3.2% (n = 3), and linear ranges were within 10 and 300 ng/mL. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of spiked seawater and tap water samples with the recoveries from 87.5 to 102.0%.     

椅型碳纳米管电子结构与长度效应

采用PM3方法对含帽结构的三种(5,5)椅型有限长碳纳米管的构型和电子结构进行了系统研究，结果表明，随着管长度的增加，除了最高占据轨道(HOMO)和最低空轨道(LUMO)之间的能隙(Eg)出现周期性的变化外，纳米管端“表面”(管的末端和管帽)构型也出现周期振荡现象，通过研究同种类型纳米管三组不同的长度效应，发现属于同一组的纳米管具有相似的构型和电子结构变化规律，此外，研究表明纳米管帽的尺寸效应可以看成为一定长度管壁的简单延伸，揭示了含帽与不含帽纳米管电子结构之间的相似性。本文还对处在管末端以及管帽上的表面态及其化学反应性进行了探讨。     

Surface properties of fluorinated single-walled carbon nanotubes

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were fluorinated at several different temperatures. The change of atomic and electronic structures of fluorinated SWCNTs was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electrical resistivity measurements and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The amount of doped fluorine increases with increasing doping temperature, and the fluorine atoms are covalently attached to the side-wall of the SWCNTs. From Raman spectra and HRTEM study, the strong fluorination on the SWCNTs leads to the breaking of carbon–carbon bonds and the disintegration of tube structure. Several intermediate phases of fluorinated SWCNTs are observed during e-beam irradiation in HRTEM.     

Simultaneous purification and spectrophotometric determination of nickel present in as-prepared single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT)

The quality of single-walled nanotubes (SWCNT) is usually assessed by means of electron microscopic techniques or Raman spectroscopy. However, these sophisticated techniques are not widely available and do not reliably estimate the impurities in highly heterogeneous samples containing metal particles, fullerenes and other carbonaceous materials. We have developed a simple, inexpensive and convenient spectrophotometric method to assess the purity of arc-discharge grown as-prepared SWCNT. Purification process consists of initial gas phase oxidation and refluxing with nitric acid at the optimal conditions including short time period during acid refluxing. We have shown that this method could remove the metal particles effectively with a good yield of high quality SWCNTs, as shown by the spectrophotometric and scanning tunneling microscope studies described here. The extent of removal of the nickel present in as-prepared carbon nanotube sample is followed by spectrophotometeric analysis of the dissolved nickel analyte. The composition of nickel in the SWCNT sample is found to be 17.56%. The method is based on the chelating of Ni²⁺ with dimethylglyoxime in ammoniacal citrate medium to form nickel dimethylglyoxime complex. A second stage purification of SWCNT eliminates the residual metal particles. The purified SWCNT has been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy which shows clearly resolved individual carbon nanotubes.     

A comparative study of single-walled carbon nanotube purification techniques using Raman spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy has been utilized to show the increase of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) content in commercial grade samples synthesized by the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) technique with a minimization of impurities using both hydrochloric acid treatment and surfactant purification. Surfactant purification methods proved to be the most effective, resulting in a three-fold increase in the percentage of SWCNTs present in the purified product as determined by Raman spectroscopy.     

Application of zone‐folding approach to the first‐principles estimation of thermodynamic properties of carbon and ZrS2‐based nanotubes

A zone‐folding (ZF) approach is applied for the estimation of the phonon contributions to thermodynamic properties of carbon‐and ZrS₂‐based nanotubes (NTs) of hexagonal morphology with different chiralities. The results obtained are compared with those from the direct calculation of the thermodynamic properties of NTs using PBE0 hybrid exchange‐correlation functional. The phonon contribution to the stability of NTs proved to be negligible for the internal energy and small for the Helmholtz free energy. It is found that the ZF approach allows us an accurate estimation of phonon contributions to internal energy, but slightly overestimates the phonon contributions to entropy. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Influence of carboxylated and phosphonated single-walled carbon nanotubes on the transport properties of sulfonated poly(styrene-isobutylene-styrene) membranes

This study discusses the effect of carboxylated (COOH) and phosphonated (PO₃H₂) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on the transport properties of sulfonated poly(styrene-isobutylene-styrene) (SO₃H SIBS) as polymer nanocomposite membranes (PNMs) for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) and chemical and biological protective clothing (CBPC) applications. The properties were determined as a function of sulfonation level of SIBS, SWCNTs functionalization and loading. A comprehensive materials characterization study was performed to understand the interactions between the nanofillers and the functionalized polymer matrix, and to determine the effect of their incorporation on the resulting nanostructure of the PNMs. Results indicate that the sulfonation level is the variable that dictates nanofiller dispersion, mechanical properties, water absorption capabilities, morphology, and oxidative stability of SO₃H SIBS. Meanwhile, the nanofiller loading and functionalization influenced the transport properties. The nanofillers reduced methanol permeation. PO₃H₂ SWCNTs increased the proton conductivity but at a high sulfonation level (i.e., 90 mol %), the ionic interconnectivity caused a more complex morphology decreasing the transport of protons. Optimal selectivity in transport properties were found with a sulfonation level of 61 mol % and a PO₃H₂ SWCNTs loading of 1.0 wt. % for DMFC and 0.5 wt. % for CBPC due to changes in morphology and the unique transport mechanism of permeants through the PNMs. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 2475–2495     

Functional macromolecules from single-walled carbon nanotubes: synthesis and photophysical properties of short single-walled carbon nanotubes functionalised with 9,10-diphenylanthracene

9,10-Diphenylanthracene (DPA), a well-studied organic chromophore (Phi(fl) = 0.98) that exhibits electroluminescence, has been covalently bound through 2-(ethylthio)ethylamido linkers to the carboxylic acid groups of short, soluble single-walled carbon nanotubes (sSWNTs) of 1 microm average length, and the resulting DPA-functionalised sSWNT (DPA- sSWNT) macromolecular adducts (4.6 wt % DPA content) characterised by solution (1)H NMR, Raman and IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Comparison of the quenching of DPA fluorescence (steady-state and time-resolved) and of the transient optical spectra of sSWNTs and DPA-sSWNTs show that the covalent linkage boosts the interaction between the DPA and the sSWNT units. DPA-sSWNTs exhibit emission in the near-IR region from 1100-1400 nm with an enhanced quantum yield (Phi = 5.7x10(-3)) compared with sSWNTs (Phi = 3.9x10(-3)).     

Assembly of layer-by-layer films of heme proteins and single-walled carbon nanotubes: electrochemistry and electrocatalysis

After being treated by mixed acids, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were shortened and had negatively charged groups on the surface. Positively charged hemoglobin or myoglobin at pH 5.0 was successfully assembled with SWNTs into layer-by-layer films on solid surfaces, designated as {SWNT/protein} _n . While only those proteins in the first few bilayers closest to the electrode surface exhibited electroactivity, the {SWNT/protein} _n films demonstrated a much higher fraction of electroactive proteins and better controllability in film construction compared with cast films of the proteins and carbon nanotubes. The proteins in the {SWNT/protein} _n films retained their near-native structure at medium pH. The stable protein film electrode showed good electrocatalytic properties toward reduction of oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, demonstrating the potential application of the {SWNT/protein} _n films as a new type of biosensor based on the direct electrochemistry of proteins without using mediators. Figure Cyclic voltammograms at 0.2 V s⁻¹ in pH 7.0 buffers with different number of bilayers (n) for layer-by-layer {single-walled carbon nanotube/hemoglobin} _n films.     

Effect of carbon nanotubes on mechanical and electrical properties of polyimide/carbon nanotubes nanocomposites

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) reinforced polyimide nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ polymerization using 4,4′-oxydianilline, MWNTs, and pyromellitic dianhydride followed by casting, evaporation and thermal imidization. A homogeneous dispersion of chemically modified MWNTs was achieved in polyimide matrix as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The incorporation of the modified MWNTs enhanced the mechanical properties of the polyimide due to the presence of strong interfacial interaction between the polymer matrix and the nanotubes in polymer composites. The resultant polyimide/MWNTs nanocomposites were electrically conductive with significant conductivity enhancement at 3 wt% MWNTs, which is favorable for many practical uses.     

Rheology of polycarbonate reinforcedwith functionalized and unfunctionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes

Nanocomposites of polycarbonate (PC) containing low concentrations of pristine and COOH and OH functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs, COOH-SWNTs and OH-SWNTs) were prepared by melt-mixing and analyzed using rheology and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The steady state and linear viscoelastic behavior of each nanocomposite material is presented and compared to that of the neat PC. SEM analysis revealed that samples containing functionalized SWNTs were more dispersible than samples containing the pristine SWNTs.     

Anomalous optical properties of photoactive cholesteric liquid crystal doped with single-walled carbon nanotubes

Optical transmission and selective reflection data are reported for suspensions of single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in photoactive nematic material ZhK-440 with a mesogenic chiral dopant M5. At small concentrations of CNTs (C ≈ 0.01–0.05%), the preferential localisation of CNTs at oily sticks (cholesteric topological defects) and suppression of the network of oily streaks by CNTs were observed. At the same time, the optical density D was shown to be essentially non-linear and a minimum at certain concentration of CNTs, C ≈ 0.05–0.08%, was observed. This anomalous behaviour was explained by the presence of the structural transition from the loose (ramified) aggregates with highly anisotropic shape (oriented along the anchoring direction on rubbed polyvinyl alcohol) to the compact aggregates with denser packing. The location of this minimum, as well as the selective reflection maximum (helical pitch), was sensitive to partially reversible UV-induced trans–cis–trans isomerisation effects. The UV-controlled helical pitch variation was shown to be only slightly affected by introduction of CNTs.