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Phase Separation of Carbon Nanotubes and Turbostratic Graphite Using a Functional Organic Polymer
Author(s) -
Coleman J. N.,
Dalton A. B.,
Curran S.,
Rubio A.,
Davey A. P.,
Drury A.,
McCarthy B.,
Lahr B.,
Ajayan P. M.,
Roth S.,
Barklie R. C.,
Blau W. J.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1521-4095(200002)12:3<213::aid-adma213>3.0.co;2-d
Subject(s) - materials science , carbon nanotube , polymer , filtration (mathematics) , graphite , organic polymer , chemical engineering , sonication , phase (matter) , nanotechnology , amorphous solid , composite material , organic chemistry , statistics , chemistry , mathematics , engineering
Nanotubes are rich in potential applications , but they are very difficult to purify, and yields are often less than 1 %. The solution presented here is to suspend nanotubes in a polymer matrix, which then acts as a filtration system. Incorporation is achieved by sonication, followed by a period of settling, during which the amorphous material falls out, leaving a highly pure sample of nanotubes (see Figure) that contains virtually no other carbonaceous material.