METHOD FOR PURIFYING AND POSITIONING CARBON NANOTUBE

摘要

A method of purifying and fabricating nanostructures comprises adding to material containing nanostructures of various sizes DNA molecules of a first type that associate only with nanostructures of a certain diameter. The DNA molecules select these nanostructures by forming assemblies with them. The material is then applied to a surface patterned with further DNA molecules that associate with the assemblies, so that the assemblies are immobilised on the surface. AU other material is washed from the surface, leaving only the immobilised assemblies. The nanostructures can then be recovered by dissociating the assemblies from the surface and then disassembling the assemblies to free the nanostructures. Thus nanostructures of one diameter only are separated from the bulk of the material. The immobilising stage can also be used to create desired distributions of same-sized nanostructures on an appropriately patterned surface.