Supramolecular Surface Modification and Solubilization of Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Cyclodextrin Complexation |
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Authors: | Sheng‐Zhen Zu Xu‐Xia Sun Yuanqin Liu Bao‐Hang Han Prof. |
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Affiliation: | 1. National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, No.?11, Beiyitiao Zhongguancun Beijing 100190 (China), Fax: (+86)?10‐8254‐5576;2. Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80?St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6 (Canada) |
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Abstract: | A novel approach to solubilize single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in the aqueous phase is described by employing supramolecular surface modification. We use cyclodextrin complexes of synthetic molecules that contain a planar pyrene moiety or a bent, shape‐fitted triptycene moiety as a binding group connected through a spacer to an adamantane moiety that is accommodated in the cyclodextrin cavity. The binding groups attach to the sidewalls of SWCNTs through a π–π stacking interaction to yield a supramolecular system that allows the SWCNTs to dissolve in the aqueous phase through the formed hydrophilic cyclodextrin shell. The black aqueous SWCNT solutions obtained are stable over a period of months. They are characterized through absorbance, static, and time‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopy as well as Raman spectroscopy, TEM, and fluorescence‐decay measurements. Furthermore, the shape‐fitted triptycene‐based system shows a pronounced selectivity for SWCNTs with a diameter of 1.0 nm. |
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Keywords: | carbon nanotubes cyclodextrins fluorescence spectroscopy Raman spectroscopy triptycene |
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