Excimer Laser Treatment for Purification of Bulk Carbon Single-Walled Nanotubes and Damage of Carbon Allotropes

Published

September 25, 2006

Author(s)

Katie Hurst, Darryl A. Keenan, Anne Dillon, John H. Lehman

Abstract

Laser treatment of bulk carbon single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) using an excimer laser is demonstrated as a potentially simple and fast purification method. Quantitative evidence for the selective removal of carbon impurities without destruction of nanotubes is shown by the decrease in the full width at half maximum of the Raman D-band for increasing fluence level, without changing the diameter distribution of the nanotube sample. Qualitative changes in the topology and morphology upon exposure are also shown by scanning electron microscopy. A 5 % change in responsivity of a pyroelectric detector coated with SWNTs is presented as a novel assessment of the change in SWNT coating topology. In the context of damage mechanisms, the resonance of the incident photons and the pi-plasmon in the SWNT material is proposed as a theoretical basis for understanding the solid state properties of the SWNT versus the carbon allotropes. The interaction of both 248 nm and 193 nm incident photons with the SWNT material is considered. Additionally, exposure of the nanotube samples in air and in an inert atmosphere provides insight into the possible mechanism of purification.

Conference Dates

September 25-27, 2006

Conference Location

Boulder, CO, USA

Conference Title

Boulder Damage Symposium Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High-Power Lasers

Pub Type

Conferences

Download Paper

Local Download

Keywords

Carbon nanotubes, excimer laser, purification, Raman spectroscopy

Citation

Hurst, K. , Keenan, D. , Dillon, A. and Lehman, J. (2006), Excimer Laser Treatment for Purification of Bulk Carbon Single-Walled Nanotubes and Damage of Carbon Allotropes, Boulder Damage Symposium Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High-Power Lasers, Boulder, CO, USA, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=32347 (Accessed October 14, 2025)