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Tunable separation of single-walled carbon nanotubes by dual-surfactant density gradient ultracentrifugation

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Abstract

We present a systematic study of the effects of surfactants in the separation of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGU). Through analysis of the buoyant densities, layer positions, and optical absorbance spectra of SWNT separation using the bile salt sodium deoxycholate (DOC) and the anionic salt sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), we clarify the roles and interactions of these two surfactants in yielding different DGU outcomes. The separation mechanism described here can also help in designing new DGU experiments by qualitatively predicting outcomes of different starting recipes, improving the efficacy of DGU and simplifying post-DGU fractionation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan

    Pei Zhao, Erik Einarsson, Junichiro Shiomi, Shohei Chiashi & Shigeo Maruyama

  2. Global Center of Excellence for Mechanical Systems Innovation, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan

    Erik Einarsson

  3. Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA

    Georgia Lagoudas

Authors
  1. Pei Zhao
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  2. Erik Einarsson
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  3. Georgia Lagoudas
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  4. Junichiro Shiomi
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  5. Shohei Chiashi
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  6. Shigeo Maruyama
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Correspondence to Shigeo Maruyama.

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Zhao, P., Einarsson, E., Lagoudas, G. et al. Tunable separation of single-walled carbon nanotubes by dual-surfactant density gradient ultracentrifugation. Nano Res. 4, 623–634 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-011-0118-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-011-0118-9

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