Tuyển tập báo cáo các nghiên cứu khoa học quốc tế ngành hóa học dành cho các bạn yêu hóa học tham khảo đề tài: Carbon nanotubes: are they dispersed or dissolved in liquids? | Geckeler and Premkumar Nanoscale Research Letters 2011 6 136 http content 6 1 136 o Nanoscale Research Letters a SpringerOpen Journal NANO IDEA Open Access Carbon nanotubes are they dispersed or dissolved in liquids Kurt Ernst Geckeler1 2 Thathan Premkumar2 Abstract Carbon nanotubes CNTs constitute a novel class of nanomaterials with remarkable applications in diverse domains. However the main intrincsic problem of CNTs is their insolubility or very poor solubility in most of the common solvents. The basic key question here is are carbon nanotubes dissolved or dispersed in liquids specifically in water When analyzing the scientific research articles published in various leading journals we found that many researchers confused between dispersion and solubilization and use the terms interchangeably particularly when stating the interaction of CNTs with liquids. In this article we address this fundamental issue to give basic insight specifically to the researchers who are working with CNTs as well asgenerally to scientists who deal with nano-related research domains. Among the various nanomaterials CNTs gained widespread attention owing to their exceptional properties good chemical stability and large surface area 1 2 . CNTs are extremely thin tubes and feature an extremely enviable combination of mechanical thermal electrical and optical properties. Their size shape and properties construct them as prime contenders for exploiting the growth of a potentially revolutionary material for diverse applications. Nevertheless the main intrinsic drawback of CNTs is their insolubility or extremely poor solubility in most of the common solvents due to their hydrophobicity thus creating it tricky to explore and understand the chemistry of such material at the molecular level and device applications. Though diverse approaches 3 have been introduced to improve the dispersion of CNTs in different solvents including water challenges still remain in .
