Rational concept to recognize/extract single-walled carbon nanotubes with a specific chirality

J Am Chem Soc. 2011 Mar 2;133(8):2651-7. doi: 10.1021/ja109399f. Epub 2011 Feb 3.

Abstract

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have remarkable and unique electronic, mechanical, and thermal properties, which are closely related to their chiralities; thus, the chirality-selective recognition/extraction of the SWNTs is one of the central issues in nanotube science. However, any rational materials design enabling one to efficiently extract/solubilize pure SWNT with a desired chirality has yet not been demonstrated. Herein we report that certain chiral polyfluorene copolymers can well-recognize SWNTs with a certain chirality preferentially, leading to solubilization of specific chiral SWNTs. The chiral copolymers were prepared by the Ni(0)-catalyzed Yamamoto coupling reaction of 2,7-dibromo-9,9-di-n-decylfluorene and 2,7-dibromo-9,9-bis[(S)-(+)-2-methylbutyl]fluorene comonomers. The selectivity of the SWNT chirality was mainly determined by the relative fraction of the achiral and chiral side groups. By a molecular mechanics simulation, the cooperative interaction between the fluorene moiety, alkyl side chain, and graphene wall were responsible for the recognition/dissolution ability of SWNT chirality. This is a first example describing the rational design and synthesis of novel fluorene-based copolymers toward the recognition/extraction of targeted (n, m) chirality of the SWNTs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Catalysis
  • Fluorenes / chemistry*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Structure
  • Nanotubes, Carbon / chemistry*
  • Nickel / chemistry
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Fluorenes
  • Nanotubes, Carbon
  • Polymers
  • Nickel