Open AccessIsolation of exfoliated boron nitride nanotubes via ethyl cellulose wrapping
Author(s) -
De los Reyes Florencio D.,
Fujieda Tadashi,
Takeuchi Akifumi,
Kawai Tsuyoshi,
oguchi Yoshiyuki
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nano select
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2688-4011
DOI - 10.1002/nano.202000265
Subject(s) - boron nitride , materials science , dispersion (optics) , surface modification , polymer , chemical engineering , covalent bond , ethyl cellulose , cellulose , boron , fabrication , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , chemistry , composite material , pathology , medicine , physics , alternative medicine , engineering , optics
Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are simultaneously isolated and dispersed in organic solvents using a non‐aromatic and highly flexible polymer ethyl cellulose (EC). The colloidal dispersion containing individualized EC‐wrapped BNNTs is stabilized via non‐covalent functionalization through CH‐π and OH‐π interactions between EC and BNNTs. FESEM, TEM, UV‐VIS, FT‐IR, and TG analyses confirm the efficiency of using a simplified and less destructive method without prior heat treatment to enhance the purity and dispersibility of BNNTs in our designed system. This provides a practical approach to the purification and dispersion of BNNTs from a bulk‐produced source, for the fabrication of materials that require large amount of high‐quality BNNTs.