Preparation of water-soluble carbon nanotubes using a pulsed streamer discharge in water
- 20 June 2006
- journal article
- Published by IOP Publishing in Nanotechnology
- Vol. 17 (14), 3421-3427
- https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/17/14/013
Abstract
A novel technique for the preparation of water-soluble carbon nanotubes was demonstrated using a pulsed streamer discharge generated in water. The technique involved chemical reactions between radicals generated by the pulsed streamer discharge and carbon nanotubes. The pulsed streamer-treated carbon nanotubes were homogeneously dispersed and well solubilized in water for a month or longer. The mechanism of solubilization of carbon nanotubes by the pulsed streamer discharge is discussed based on FTIR spectroscopy and optical emission spectra measurements. FTIR spectroscopy revealed that -OH groups, which are known to impart a hydrophilic nature to carbon material, were introduced on the carbon nanotube surface. Optical emission spectra from the pulsed streamer plasma showed that highly oxidative O(*) and H(*) radicals were generated in water. These results suggest that the functionalization of the carbon nanotube surface by -OH group can be attributed to the O(*) and H(*) radicals. An advantage of the proposed method is that there is no need for any chemical agents or additives for solubilization. Chemical agents for solubilization are generated from the water itself by the electrochemical reactions induced by the pulsed streamer discharge.Keywords
This publication has 33 references indexed in Scilit:
- Production of carbon nanoonions and nanotubes using an intermittent arc discharge in waterThin Solid Films, 2005
- Solubilization of Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes by 3‐Aminopropyltriethoxysilane Towards the Fabrication of Electrochemical Biosensors with Promoted Electron TransferElectroanalysis, 2004
- Production of Carbon Nanoparticles Using Pulsed Arc Discharge Triggered by Dielectric Breakdown in WaterJapanese Journal of Applied Physics, 2003
- DNA-assisted dispersion and separation of carbon nanotubesNature Materials, 2003
- High Weight Fraction Surfactant Solubilization of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes in WaterNano Letters, 2003
- Noncovalent Engineering of Carbon Nanotube Surfaces by Rigid, Functional Conjugated PolymersJournal of the American Chemical Society, 2002
- Water-Soluble Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes via Noncovalent Sidewall-Functionalization with a Pyrene-Carrying Ammonium IonChemistry Letters, 2002
- Synthesis of carbon 'onions' in waterNature, 2001
- Formation process and structure of graphite oxideCarbon, 1994
- Helical microtubules of graphitic carbonNature, 1991