(410a) Impact of Surfactant Chemistry on Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Extraction Conditions in Aqueous Two-Polymer Phase Extraction

Aqueous two-polymer phase extraction (ATPE) is an effective method for isolating individual (n,m) species of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) from multiple specie mixtures, with control of individual SWCNT specie isolation usually achieved by competing two or more surfactants against the nanotube surface. Here, we investigate the effects of systematic variations in surfactant chemistry on ATPE separation conditions using a recently reported near-infrared fluorescence emission monitoring method. Specifically, variations in alkyl surfactant tail length and anionic head group chemistry were observed to strongly affect the amount of surfactant necessary to cause extraction of nanotube species in ATPE extraction. Substitution of different di-hydroxy bile salts is also shown to greatly affect the surfactant concentrations necessary for (n,m) extraction. These results provide additional insight into the underlying mechanisms behind ATPE-based SWCNT separations, towards further development and optimization of the ATPE method.