Removal of sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant from aqueous dispersions of single-wall carbon nanotubes

Jamie E Rossi; Karen J Soule; Erin Cleveland; Scott W Schmucker; Cory D Cress; Nathanael D Cox; Andrew Merrill; Brian J Landi

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2017.01.117

Removal of sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant from aqueous dispersions of single-wall carbon nanotubes

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2017 Jun 1:495:140-148. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2017.01.117. Epub 2017 Feb 2.

Authors

Jamie E Rossi¹, Karen J Soule¹, Erin Cleveland², Scott W Schmucker², Cory D Cress², Nathanael D Cox³, Andrew Merrill¹, Brian J Landi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA; NanoPower Research Laboratory, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA.
² National Research Council Post Doctoral Fellow, Residing at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, USA.
³ Department of Chemical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA; NanoPower Research Laboratory, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA; Department of Microsystems Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA.
⁴ Department of Chemical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA; NanoPower Research Laboratory, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA. Electronic address: brian.landi@rit.edu.

PMID: 28193512
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2017.01.117

Abstract

A reagent-based treatment method was developed for the removal of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) from aqueous dispersions of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Based on a survey of various reagents, organic solvents emerged as the most effective at interrupting the SDS:SWCNT interaction without producing deleterious side reactions or causing precipitation of the surfactant. Specifically, treatment with acetone or acetonitrile allows for the facile isolation of SWCNTs with near complete removal of SDS through vacuum filtration, resulting in a 100x reduction in processing time. These findings were validated via quantitative analysis using thermogravimetric analysis, Raman spectroscopy, 4-point probe electrical measurement, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Subsequent thermal oxidation further enhances the purity of the reagent treated samples and yields bulk SWCNT samples with >95% carbonaceous purity. The proposed reagent treatment method thus demonstrates potential for large volume SWCNT processing.

Keywords: Dispersion; SWCNT purity; Solvent interaction; Surfactant removal.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.