(497h) Characterization of the Aqueous Dispersion of Boron Nitride Nanotubes Stabilized By DNA

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are newly emerging one-dimensional nanostructures, with superior mechanical properties and chemical and thermal stability. The liquid phase processing and applications development of BNNTs require nanotubes to be dispersed individually. However, obtaining BNNT dispersions with improved quality has been hindered by strong van der Waals interactions between nanotubes. In this work, aqueous dispersions of BNNTs that are non-covalently complexed with single-stranded DNA (DNA-BNNTs) were explored. The effect of various parameters on both the dispersion quality and yield of DNA-BNNTs were explored, including the ratio of DNA: BNNTs by mass, the DNA length using (GT)_n sequences, where n=5,10,15,20, the DNA sequence using single nucleotides A₈, C₈, G₈, T₈, and the salt concentration in the range of 0-100 mM. Various characterization techniques including UV absorbance measurements, microscopy, and rheology in dilute and semidilute regime were utilized to better understand the structure-property relationships for aqueous dispersions of DNA-BNNTs.