Dispersing Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes With Surfactants: A Small Angle Neutron Scattering Study

Published

September 1, 2004

Author(s)

Haonan Wang, Wei Zhou, D L. Ho, K Winey, John E. Fischer, Charles J. Glinka, Erik K. Hobbie

Abstract

We have investigated the dispersion of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in heavy water with the surfactant Triton X-100 using primarily small angle neutron scattering. We have revealed that SWNTs in this study have a large incoherent scattering cross-section, implying that tubes are heavily hydrogenated from the acid treatment. The hydrogenation of SWNTs may play an important role in their dispersion with amphiphilic surfactants. We have also revealed that there exists a surfactant concentration for the optimal dispersion, as a result of the competition between maximization of the surfactant adsorption to SWNT surfaces and the depletion interaction between SWNT bundles and surfactant micelles.

Citation

Nano Letters

Volume

4(9)

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

dispersion, nanotubes, SANS, surfactant

Citation

Wang, H. , Zhou, W. , Ho, D. , Winey, K. , Fischer, J. , Glinka, C. and Hobbie, E. (2004), Dispersing Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes With Surfactants: A Small Angle Neutron Scattering Study, Nano Letters, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=852379 (Accessed October 10, 2025)