Advances in the Gel Chromatography Separation Processes with the Use of Duel-Surfactant and Surfactant-Salt Techniques

Carbon nanotubes are considered a material of the future due to their wide applicability from microchips to sports gear. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can be separated into different species depending on their structure; metallic, or semiconducting. Here we will discuss the process of separating single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) via gel-based chromatography. Novel innovations in the separation process have been made through the use of both dual-surfactant and surfactant-salt gradient processes. We outline the effect of surfactants such as SDS, SC, SDC, and AOT as well as different Alkaline Earth Metal cations. Through the use of these two methods individually, RNMSL has been able to isolate, with a high degree, metallic and semiconducting species. Furthermore, to confirm the extraction of different species of NTs, characterization was performed via absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy.