탄소나노튜브의 말단에 화학적 작용기를 붙여서 탄소나노튜브의 유기용매에 대한 용해도에 대해 살펴보았다. 탄소나노튜브를 정제 및 절단하여 열린 말단에 카르복실산기를 생성하고, 아미드 작용기 생성 반응을 통하여 각각 octadecylamine과 amino-terminated polystyrene을 탄소나노튜브에 붙였다. 말단에 카르복실산기가 형성된 탄소나노튜브의 경우는 유기용매에 분산이 잘 되지 않았지만, 폴리스티렌과 옥타데실아민이 붙여진 탄소나노튜브는 유기용매에 잘 분산되었다.
The solubility enhancements of singlewall carbon nanotubes(SWNTs) in various organic solvents were investigated by chemical modification of SWNTs. Carboxylic acids were attached to the open ends of SWNTs during purification and cutting. Octadecylamine and amino-terminated polystyrene were grafted to cut SWNTs via the formation of amide functionality. SWNTs with carboxylic acid bond were not dispersed well in organic solvents. But, polystyrene-grafted SWNTs and octadecylamine-grafted SWNTs were dispersed well in some organic solvents.
Rinzler A, Liu J, Dai H, Nikolaev P, Huffman C, Rodriguez-Macias F, Boul P, Lu A, Heymann D, Col-bert DT, Lee RS, Fischer F, Rao A, Eklund PC, Smalley RE, Appl. Phys. A-Mater. Sci. Process., 67, 29, 1998