TY - JOUR
T1 - Large-scale separation of single-walled carbon nanotubes by electronic type using click chemistry
AU - Um, Jo Eun
AU - Song, Sun Gu
AU - Yoo, Pil J.
AU - Song, Changsik
AU - Kim, Woo Jae
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Basic Science Research Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) and funded by the Ministry of Education ( NRF-2016R1D1A1B03934986 ) and the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) and the Ministry of Trade , Industry & Energy (MOTIE) of the Republic of Korea (No. 20162010104190 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2018/1/31
Y1 - 2018/1/31
N2 - Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can be either metallic or semiconducting, making their separation critical for applications in nanoelectronics, biomedical materials, and solar cells. Herein, we investigate a novel solution-phase separation method based on click chemistry (azide-alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition) and determine its efficiency and scalability. In this method, metallic SWCNTs in metallic/semiconducting SWCNT mixtures are selectively functionalized with alkyne groups by being reacted with 4-propargyloxybenezenediazonium tetrafluoroborate. Subsequently, silica nanoparticles are functionalized with azide groups and reacted with alkyne-bearing metallic SWCNTs in the SWCNT mixture in the presence of a Cu catalyst. As a result, metallic SWCNTs are anchored on silica powder, whereas non-functionalized semiconducting SWCNTs remain in solution. Low-speed centrifugation effectively removes the silica powder with attached metallic SWCNTs, furnishing a solution of highly pure semiconducting SWCNTs, as confirmed by Raman and UV-vis/near-infrared absorption measurements. This novel separation scheme exhibits the advantage of simultaneously separating both metallic and semiconducting SWCNTs from their mixtures, being cost-effective and therefore applicable at an industrial scale.
AB - Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can be either metallic or semiconducting, making their separation critical for applications in nanoelectronics, biomedical materials, and solar cells. Herein, we investigate a novel solution-phase separation method based on click chemistry (azide-alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition) and determine its efficiency and scalability. In this method, metallic SWCNTs in metallic/semiconducting SWCNT mixtures are selectively functionalized with alkyne groups by being reacted with 4-propargyloxybenezenediazonium tetrafluoroborate. Subsequently, silica nanoparticles are functionalized with azide groups and reacted with alkyne-bearing metallic SWCNTs in the SWCNT mixture in the presence of a Cu catalyst. As a result, metallic SWCNTs are anchored on silica powder, whereas non-functionalized semiconducting SWCNTs remain in solution. Low-speed centrifugation effectively removes the silica powder with attached metallic SWCNTs, furnishing a solution of highly pure semiconducting SWCNTs, as confirmed by Raman and UV-vis/near-infrared absorption measurements. This novel separation scheme exhibits the advantage of simultaneously separating both metallic and semiconducting SWCNTs from their mixtures, being cost-effective and therefore applicable at an industrial scale.
KW - Click chemistry
KW - Copper catalyst
KW - SWCNT separation
KW - m-SWCNT
KW - sc-SWCNT
KW - 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85020896153&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.apsusc.2017.06.092
DO - 10.1016/j.apsusc.2017.06.092
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85020896153
SN - 0169-4332
VL - 429
SP - 278
EP - 283
JO - Applied Surface Science
JF - Applied Surface Science
ER -