Influence of Polymer Electronics on Selective Dispersion of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

• Published in: Chemistry : a European journal Vol. 22; no. 41; pp. 14560 - 14566
• Main Authors: Fong, Darryl, Bodnaryk, William J., Rice, Nicole A., Saem, Sokunthearath, Moran-Mirabal, Jose M., Adronov, Alex
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Blackwell Publishing Ltd 04-10-2016; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: carbon materials; Cationic; Chemical industry; Chemistry; conducting materials; conjugated polymers; Derivatives; Dispersion; Electronics; Methylation; Nanostructure; nanostructures; Nanotubes; Polymers; Selectivity; Single wall carbon nanotubes; Spectrum analysis; conducting materials; nanotubes; carbon materials; nanostructures; conjugated polymers
• ISSN: 0947-6539; 1521-3765
• DOI: 10.1002/chem.201602722

The separation and isolation of semiconducting and metallic single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) on a large scale remains a barrier to many commercial applications. Selective extraction of semiconducting SWNTs by wrapping and dispersion with conjugated polymers has been demonstrated to be effective, but the structural parameters of conjugated polymers that dictate selectivity are poorly understood. Here, we report nanotube dispersions with a poly(fluorene‐co‐pyridine) copolymer and its cationic methylated derivative, and show that electron‐deficient conjugated π‐systems bias the dispersion selectivity toward metallic SWNTs. Differentiation of semiconducting and metallic SWNT populations was carried out by a combination of UV/Vis‐NIR absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and electrical conductivity measurements. These results provide new insight into the rational design of conjugated polymers for the selective dispersion of metallic SWNTs.
Conducting materials: Methylation of a poly(fluorene‐co‐pyridine) derivative results in a cationic, electron‐poor polymer that exhibits increased selectivity for metallic carbon nanotubes relative to the unmethylated, electron‐rich structure (see figure).