Bath sonication for the scalable separation of semiconducting single walled carbon nanotubes

Geonhee Park; Woo-Jae Kim; Jaehyun Hur

Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol.36, No.4, 635-641, April, 2019

DOI10.1007/s11814-019-0244-8 Export Citation

Bath sonication for the scalable separation of semiconducting single walled carbon nanotubes

Geonhee Park, Woo-Jae Kim^{1, †}, and Jaehyun Hur^†

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do 13120, Korea
¹Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea

E-mail:,

Commercially available single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) consist of a mixture of metallic (m- SWNTs) and semiconducting SWNTs (sc-SWNTs), and therefore cannot be used as they are for applications where pure semiconductors or metallic materials are needed. Hence, the separation of sc-SWNTs from pristine SWNT mixtures is an essential process that precedes the evaluation of SWNTs. The polymer wrapping method, which is one of the well-known methods for separating sc-SWNTs, can separate sc-SWNTs by forming a sc-SWNT/polymer complex in which sc-SWNTs are selectively wrapped with a conductive polymer over metallic SWNTs. This process is generally realized using a tip sonicator, which enables the polymer wrapping and dispersion for SWNTs. However, this conventional tip sonication has several drawbacks, such as difficulties with respect to mass production, contamination, and high cost of equipment. In this work, the selective dispersion and separation of sc-SWNTs were achieved using bath sonication, which can overcome the drawbacks related to conventional tip sonication process. It was confirmed that bath sonication can achieve a similar level of sc-SWNT dispersion efficiency to that of tip sonication. The variation in the dispersion efficiencies with respect to the dispersion time, SWNT concentration, SWNT types, polymer concentration, and solvent types and concentrations was investigated. Furthermore, the dispersion stability was compared by measuring the particle sizes of the sc-SWNT/conductive polymer composites obtained using the bath sonication and tip sonication methods via electrophoretic light scattering as a function of time.

Keywords:Bath Sonication;Semiconducting SWNT;Separation;Selective Dispersion;Poly(3-dodecylthiophene-2,5-diyl)

[References]

Valentino O, Sarno M, Rainone NG, Nobile MR, Ciambelli P, Neitzert HC, Simon GP, Phys. E, 40, 2440 (2008)
Sandler J, Shaffer MSP, Prasse T, Bauhofer W, Schulte K, Windle AH, Polymer, 40(21), 5967 (1999)
Biercuk M, Llaguno MC, Radosavljevic M, Hyun J, Johnson AT, Fischer JE, Appl. Phys. Lett., 80, 2767 (2002)
Geng HZ, Rosen R, Zheng B, Shimoda H, Fleming L, Liu J, Zhou O, Adv. Mater., 14(19), 1387 (2002)
Belin T, Epron F, Mater. Sci. Eng. B-Solid State Mater. Adv. Technol., 119, 105 (2005)
Ouyang M, Huang JL, Cheung CL, Lieber CM, Science, 292, 702 (2001)
Lauret JS, Voisin C, Cassabois G, Roussignol P, Delalande C, Filoramo A, Capes L, Valentin E, Jost O, Phys. E, 21, 1057 (2004)
Kim WJ, Nair N, Lee CY, Strano MS, J. Phys. Chem. C, 112, 7326 (2008)
Um JE, Song SG, Yoo PJ, Song C, Kim WJ, Appl. Surf. Sci., 429, 278 (2018)
Arnold MS, Stupp SI, Hersam MC, Nano Lett., 5, 713 (2005)
Arnold MS, Green AA, Hulvat JF, Stupp SI, Hersam MC, Nat. Nanotechnol., 1(1), 60 (2006)
Ghosh S, Bachilo SM, Weisman RB, Nat. Nanotechnol., 5(6), 443 (2010)
Liu H, Nishide D, Tanaka T, Kataura H, Nat. Commun., 2, 309 (2011)
Tulevski GS, Franklin AD, Afzali A, ACS Nano, 7, 2971 (2013)
Davis VL, Quaranta S, Cavallo C, Latini A, Gaspari F, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells, 167, 162 (2017)
Yamamoto K, Akita S, Nakayama Y, J. Phys. D-Appl. Phys., 31, L34 (1998)
Krupke R, Hennrich F, Lohneysen HV, Kappes MM, Science, 301, 344 (2003)
Li J, Zhang Q, Peng N, Zhu Q, Appl. Phys. Lett., 86, 153116 (2005)
Zheng M, Jagota A, Semke ED, Diner BA, Mclean RS, Lustig SR, Richardson RE, Tassi NG, Nat. Mater., 2(5), 338 (2003)
Tu X, Zheng M, Nano Res., 1, 185 (2008)
Tu X, Manohar S, Jagota A, Zheng M, Nature, 460, 250 (2009)
Lee DT, Chung JW, Park G, Kim YT, Lee CY, Cho Y, Yoo PJ, Han JH, Shin HJ, Kim WJ, Appl. Surf. Sci., 429, 264 (2018)
Wang H, Koleilat GI, Liu P, Jimenez-Oses G, Lai YC, Vosgueritchian M, Fang Y, Park S, Houk KN, Bao Z, ACS Nano, 8, 2609 (2014)
Yang Y, Ding L, Han J, Zhang Z, Peng LM, ACS Nano, 11, 4124 (2017)
Wang HL, Bao ZN, Nano Today, 10(6), 737 (2015)
Lee HW, Yoon Y, Park S, Oh JH, Hong S, Liyanage LS, Wang H, Morishita S, Patil N, Park YJ, Nat. Commun., 2, 541 (2011)
Caddeo C, Melis C, Colombo L, Mattoni A, J. Phys. Chem. C, 114, 21109 (2010)
Wang H, Hsieh B, Oses GJ, Liu P, Tassone CJ, Diao Y, Lei T, Houk KN, Bao Z, Small, 11, 126 (2015)
Tabakman SM, Welsher K, Hong G, Dai H, J. Phys. Chem. C, 114, 19569 (2010)
Bahr JL, Mickelson ET, Bronikowski MJ, Smalley RE, Tour JM, Chem. Commun., 193 (2001).

[1] Valentino O, Sarno M, Rainone NG, Nobile MR, Ciambelli P, Neitzert HC, Simon GP, Phys. E, 40, 2440 (2008)

[2] Sandler J, Shaffer MSP, Prasse T, Bauhofer W, Schulte K, Windle AH, Polymer, 40(21), 5967 (1999)

[3] Biercuk M, Llaguno MC, Radosavljevic M, Hyun J, Johnson AT, Fischer JE, Appl. Phys. Lett., 80, 2767 (2002)

[4] Geng HZ, Rosen R, Zheng B, Shimoda H, Fleming L, Liu J, Zhou O, Adv. Mater., 14(19), 1387 (2002)

[5] Belin T, Epron F, Mater. Sci. Eng. B-Solid State Mater. Adv. Technol., 119, 105 (2005)

[6] Ouyang M, Huang JL, Cheung CL, Lieber CM, Science, 292, 702 (2001)

[7] Lauret JS, Voisin C, Cassabois G, Roussignol P, Delalande C, Filoramo A, Capes L, Valentin E, Jost O, Phys. E, 21, 1057 (2004)

[8] Kim WJ, Nair N, Lee CY, Strano MS, J. Phys. Chem. C, 112, 7326 (2008)

[9] Um JE, Song SG, Yoo PJ, Song C, Kim WJ, Appl. Surf. Sci., 429, 278 (2018)

[10] Arnold MS, Stupp SI, Hersam MC, Nano Lett., 5, 713 (2005)

[11] Arnold MS, Green AA, Hulvat JF, Stupp SI, Hersam MC, Nat. Nanotechnol., 1(1), 60 (2006)

[12] Ghosh S, Bachilo SM, Weisman RB, Nat. Nanotechnol., 5(6), 443 (2010)

[13] Liu H, Nishide D, Tanaka T, Kataura H, Nat. Commun., 2, 309 (2011)

[14] Tulevski GS, Franklin AD, Afzali A, ACS Nano, 7, 2971 (2013)

[15] Davis VL, Quaranta S, Cavallo C, Latini A, Gaspari F, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells, 167, 162 (2017)

[16] Yamamoto K, Akita S, Nakayama Y, J. Phys. D-Appl. Phys., 31, L34 (1998)

[17] Krupke R, Hennrich F, Lohneysen HV, Kappes MM, Science, 301, 344 (2003)

[18] Li J, Zhang Q, Peng N, Zhu Q, Appl. Phys. Lett., 86, 153116 (2005)

[19] Zheng M, Jagota A, Semke ED, Diner BA, Mclean RS, Lustig SR, Richardson RE, Tassi NG, Nat. Mater., 2(5), 338 (2003)

[20] Tu X, Zheng M, Nano Res., 1, 185 (2008)

[21] Tu X, Manohar S, Jagota A, Zheng M, Nature, 460, 250 (2009)

[22] Lee DT, Chung JW, Park G, Kim YT, Lee CY, Cho Y, Yoo PJ, Han JH, Shin HJ, Kim WJ, Appl. Surf. Sci., 429, 264 (2018)

[23] Wang H, Koleilat GI, Liu P, Jimenez-Oses G, Lai YC, Vosgueritchian M, Fang Y, Park S, Houk KN, Bao Z, ACS Nano, 8, 2609 (2014)

[24] Yang Y, Ding L, Han J, Zhang Z, Peng LM, ACS Nano, 11, 4124 (2017)

[25] Wang HL, Bao ZN, Nano Today, 10(6), 737 (2015)

[26] Lee HW, Yoon Y, Park S, Oh JH, Hong S, Liyanage LS, Wang H, Morishita S, Patil N, Park YJ, Nat. Commun., 2, 541 (2011)

[27] Caddeo C, Melis C, Colombo L, Mattoni A, J. Phys. Chem. C, 114, 21109 (2010)

[28] Wang H, Hsieh B, Oses GJ, Liu P, Tassone CJ, Diao Y, Lei T, Houk KN, Bao Z, Small, 11, 126 (2015)

[29] Tabakman SM, Welsher K, Hong G, Dai H, J. Phys. Chem. C, 114, 19569 (2010)

[30] Bahr JL, Mickelson ET, Bronikowski MJ, Smalley RE, Tour JM, Chem. Commun., 193 (2001).