Effect of Surfactant Structure on Carbon Nanotube Sidewall Adsorption

One conventional and two related gemini surfactants have been used for the preparation of stable single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) aqueous dispersions. The surfactants investigated are able to disperse SWNTs at surfactant/carbon nanotube weight ratios far lower than widely used conventional surfactants. The gemini surfactants investigated demonstrated the ability to solubilize a larger amount of SWNTs with respect to the related single-tailed surfactant at concentrations far lower than their critical micellar concentrations. Their selectivity towards semiconducting SWNTs with large diameters was inferred from radial breathing mode Raman data.