No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The superior physical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have led to their broad application. Intrinsically, CNTs tend to agglomerate from hydrophobic interactions, which is highly undesirable for solution processing and device fabrication. Commonly, a stabilizer consisting of organic surfactants or polymers is used to disperse CNTs. Recently, we synthesized nitrogen-doped carbon hollow nanospheres (25-90 nm), termed carbon "nanobubbles". They bear superior dispersability in water and distinctive graphitic order. Herein, we describe the nanobubble-assisted dispersion of CNTs in aqueous solution upon sonication. This process relies on the π-π interaction between the two aromatic carbon nanostructures, which can process their carbon mixture in water into conductive filter membranes, ink, and discs. This stabilization can be extended to other aromatic carbons. In addition, the π-π interaction may create a new type of carbon p-n junction that can be used to improve charge separation.

A double-tailed surfactant, for example, dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB), tends to form bilayer fragments rather than vesicles in aqueous solution upon sonication. This Letter reports on the morphological transformations of the membrane fragments leading to multilamellar vesicle formation. The surfactant membranes were swollen with tetra(11-methoxy-11-oxoundecyl)tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (3) (a cyclosiloxane with covalently attached fatty-acid esters) up to 50 mol % based on the surfactant content. That compound was synthesized by hydrosilylation of 1,3,5,7-tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane with four molecules of methyl undec-10-enoate. Using cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), it has been shown that densely stacked multilamellar vesicles form spontaneously in the sonicated DODAB dispersion containing 50 mol % of the compound 3 after adjusting pH to the value of 9.5. This occurs as a result of the hydrolysis of ester bonds of the compound 3 inside the membrane with formation of tetra(11-carboxyundecyl)tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (4). The carboxylic groups in compound 4 are ionized under experimental conditions. That results in the appearance of the negative charge at the surface which neutralizes the positively charged molecules of DODAB, thus reducing repulsive interactions between the membrane fragments. Additionally, as was shown using Langmuir monolayer measurements, the presence of compound 4 expands the DODAB film and decreases its bending rigidity. That makes the bending process considerably easier and promotes formation of multilamellar vesicles.