A purification method has been developed that provides for the removal of metal catalysts and impurity carbon from laser-oven-grown single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) material. The oxidation rate of SWNTs in air at elevated temperatures is correlated to the metal content of the sample. Sample purity is documented with SEM, TEM, electron microprobe analysis, Raman, and UV-vis-near-IR. We also note that the relative intensity of the electronic transitions in the near-infrared to the continuum absorption at 400 nm in the UV serves as a useful monitor of the perturbation of the sidewall π-electron density of SWNTs due to sidewall substitution and/or oxidation.

A purification method has been developed that provides for the removal of metal catalysts and impurity carbon from laser-oven-grown single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) material. The oxidation rate of SWNTs in air at elevated temperatures is correlated to the metal content of the sample. Sample purity is documented with SEM, TEM, electron microprobe analysis, Raman, and UV-vis-near-IR. We also note that the relative intensity of the electronic transitions in the near-infrared to the continuum absorption at 400 nm in the UV serves as a useful monitor of the perturbation of the sidewall π-electron density of SWNTs due to sidewall substitution and/or oxidation.

The growth of a continuous, uniform Au layer on a dielectric nanoparticle is the critical step in the synthesis of nanoparticles such as nanoshells or nanorice, giving rise to their unique geometry-dependent plasmon resonant properties. Here we report a novel, streamlined method for Au layer metallization on prepared nanoparticle surfaces using carbon monoxide as the reducing agent. This approach consistently yields plasmonic nanoparticles with highly regular shell layers and is immune to variations in precursor or reagent preparation. Single particle spectroscopy combined with scanning electron microscopy reveal that thinner, more uniform shell layers with correspondingly redshifted optical resonances are achievable with this approach.