631
(Invited) Application of Aqueous Two-Phase Partitioning Towards Total Structure Control of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Dispersed Populations

Tuesday, 31 May 2016: 14:20
Aqua 313 (Hilton San Diego Bayfront)
J. A. Fagan (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
Scaled separation of single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) populations with completely specified physical structures is a primary milestone necessary for enabling SWCNT-based technologies.  Aqueous two-phase extraction (ATPE), in which the spontaneous phase separation of an aqueous polymer mixture is utilized to spatially separate solutes on the basis of their chemical potential difference for the two phases, is a promising technology for achieving this milestone.  By implementing multistage iterative separations using surfactant composition gradients, either stepwise or through an automated process, many individual species of SWCNT have been isolated, with isolation for some species to the level of specific left, or right,-handed enantiomer.  Results on the improved processing methodologies, including on separation of metallic SWCNT species, will be addressed.  Additionally, combination of ATPE with separately developed methods for length separation and endohedral volume specification will demonstrate the progress towards the total structure control goal.