Synthesis and characterization of carbon nanotubes covalently functionalized with amphiphilic polymer coated superparamagnetic nanocrystals

Joseph C Bear; Paul D McNaughter; Kerstin Jurkschat; Alison Crossley; Leigh Aldous; Richard G Compton; Andrew G Mayes; Gregory G Wildgoose

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2012.06.028

Synthesis and characterization of carbon nanotubes covalently functionalized with amphiphilic polymer coated superparamagnetic nanocrystals

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2012 Oct 1;383(1):110-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2012.06.028. Epub 2012 Jun 20.

Authors

Joseph C Bear¹, Paul D McNaughter, Kerstin Jurkschat, Alison Crossley, Leigh Aldous, Richard G Compton, Andrew G Mayes, Gregory G Wildgoose

Affiliation

¹ School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7TJ, UK.

PMID: 22789798
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2012.06.028

Abstract

Herein, we report the synthesis of three covalently linked superparamagnetic nanocrystal-multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites. A generic strategy for amphiphilic polymer coating of nanocrystals and further functionalization for amide bond formation with the MWCNTs is discussed. This approach can in principle allow attachment of any colloidal nanocrystal to the MWCNTs. The materials were characterized at each stage of the syntheses using DLS, zeta-potential measurements, FT-IR, TEM, and XPS techniques. The practicality of this linkage is demonstrated by the reversible magnetic immobilization of these materials on an electrode during non-aqueous electrochemistry.