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Direct Intermolecular Force Measurements between Functional Groups and Individual Metallic or Semiconducting Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Ya Xuan Thong,

School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637459 Singapore

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Yin Fun Poon,

School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637459 Singapore

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Tzu-Yin Chen,

Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 10617 Taiwan

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Lain-Jong Li,

Corresponding Author

Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 10617 Taiwan

E-mail: lanceli@gate.sinica.edu.tw, mbechan@ntu.edu.sgSearch for more papers by this author
Mary B. Chan-Park,

Corresponding Author

School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637459 Singapore

E-mail: lanceli@gate.sinica.edu.tw, mbechan@ntu.edu.sgSearch for more papers by this author
First published: 19 September 2013
Citations: 5
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Abstract

Many electronic applications of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) require electronic homogeneity in order to maximally exploit their outstanding properties. Non-covalent separation is attractive as it is scalable and results in minimal alteration of nanotube properties. However, fundamental understanding of the metallicity-dependence of functional group interactions with nanotubes is still lacking; this lack is compounded by the absence of methods to directly measure these interactions. Herein, a novel technology platform based on a recently developed atomic force microscopy (AFM) mode is reported which directly quantifies the adhesion forces between a chosen functional group and individual nanotubes of known metallicity, permitting comparisons between different metallicity. These results unambiguously show that this technology platform is able to discriminate the subtle adhesion force differences of a chosen functional group with pure metallic as opposed to pure semiconducting nanotubes. This new method provides a route towards rapid advances in understanding of non-covalent interactions of large libraries of compounds with nanotubes of varying metallicity and diameter; presenting a superior tool to assist the discovery of more effective metallicity-based SWNT separation agents.

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