ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Selective oxidation of metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes

Paweł Łukaszczuk, Ewa Mijowska, and Ryszard Kaleńczuk

Institute of Chemical and Environment Engineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology, ul. Pułaskiego 10, 70-322, Szczecin, Poland

E-mail: plukaszczuk@zut.edu.pl

Abstract: In this work we present a simple and non-invasive approach to the preparation of semi-conducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) through selective destruction of the metallic counterparts present in the starting material. Most separation techniques require chemical treatment, the application of ultrasound, or the addition of auxiliary molecules, which lead to the introduction of defects and impurities. In this contribution, laser ablation SWCNTs were selectively oxidised via long-term heating leading to the enrichment of semi-conductive nanotubes. Spectroscopic analysis demonstrates that the selective character of oxidation occurs only in the optimal temperature range, determined by thermo-gravimetric analysis. By tuning the process parameters, one can obtain a sample exhibiting different purity (up to 95 % of semi-conducting nanotubes) and separation efficiency. The samples’ quality and yield of separation were determined by UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and TG analysis. The approach presented is readily scaleable.

Keywords: SWCNT – nanotubes – separation – metallic – semi-conducting

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-013-0345-5

Chemical Papers 67 (9) 1250–1254 (2013)