Tuning wettability and electrical conductivity of single-walled carbon nanotubes by the modified Hummers method

Abstract

Partial oxidation of nanocarbon materials is one of the most straightforward methods to improve their compatibility with other materials, which widens its application potential. This work studied how the microstructure and properties of high crystallinity single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can be tailored by applying the modified Hummers method. The influence of temperature (0, 18, 40 °C), reaction time (0 min to 7 h), and the amount of KMnO4 oxidant was monitored. The results showed that depending on the oxidation conditions, the electronic characteristics of the material could be adjusted. After optimizing the parameters, the SWCNTs were much more conductive (1369 ± 84 S/cm with respect to 283 ± 32 S/cm for the untreated material). At the same time, the films made from them exhibited hydrophilic character of the surface (water contact angle changed from 71° to 27°).

Carbon nanotubes modified conductive ink for application to paper-based electrochemical biosensors for pathogenic DNA detection

“…The peak at 533.5 eV corresponds to the oxygen atoms in carboxyl groups and those at 534.5 eV indicate the presence of oxygen in water at the surface. 36–39 These results clearly reveal the presence of the cMWCNTs in the intact form in the as-prepared dried ink.…”

Supercapacitor based on polymeric binary composite of polythiophene and single-walled carbon nanotubes

“…The presence of the RBMs in the nanocomposites spectra confirms the embedded of the SWCNTs in the composite. The appearance of this peak in the nanocomposite leads to the translation of the SWCNTs to a dominate mean diameter 38 . Hence, the estimated mean diameters for the 10, 25, and 50% SWCNTs nanocomposites are 1.2, 1.26, 1.21 nm, respectively.…”

“Nanoreactors” for Boosting Gas Hydrate Formation toward Energy Storage Applications

“…As justified above, materials having moderate wettability should be used or created to maximize the gas/water contact in the interior spaces. Theoretically, surface wettability can be tuned to achieve desired properties by chemical treatments. ,− For carbon-based materials, controlling the surface oxidation is a feasible way to tune their surface wettability. − Likewise, silica-based materials can be coated with different chemical groups to tune their wettability and functionality . The second criterion concerning the pore size is related to the fabrication methods.…”