A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Precise Partitioning of Metallic Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes and Enantiomers through Aqueous Two-Phase Extraction




AuthorsLi, Han; Zheng, Ming; Fagan, Jeffrey A.

PublisherAmerican Chemical Society

Publication year2025

JournalACS Nano

ISSN1936-0851

eISSN1936-086X

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c00025

Web address https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c00025

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/491393309


Abstract

Separation of single-chirality single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and their enantiomers holds significant potential for materials science and various applications but challenges in scalability and precision persist. In this study, we introduce a systematic approach to identify separation conditions for metallic SWCNTs in aqueous two-phase extraction (ATPE), precisely identifying improved conditions for isolating multiple armchair and chiral (n,m) species. We quantify these conditions by determining partition coefficient change condition (PCCC) values for both binary and ternary surfactant combinations. This information enables optimization for efficient separation of high-purity armchair nanotubes such as (6,6), (7,7), (8,8) and (9,9), and for isolation of enantiomeric nonarmchair nanotubes, including challenging metallic species such as the (8,5), (7,4), (9,3), (10,4) and (10,7). Lastly, separated single (n,m) populations are reseparated in ATPE at precise steps in both binary and ternary surfactant mixtures to resolve their enantiomers, extracting information on the underlying mechanism of metallic SWCNT ATPE and highlighting the utility of sodium cholate for achieving single enantiomer level separations.


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Funding information in the publication
H.L. gratefully acknowledges support from the TurkuCollegium for Science, Medicine and Technology (TCSMT,Starttiraha 26005020). J.A.F. and M.Z. were funded throughinternal National Institute of Standards and Technology funds.


Last updated on 2025-07-04 at 08:38