MANIPULATION OF DERIVATIZED CARBON NANOTUBES

摘要

This invention concerns carbon nanotubes in general and especially selective manipulation and separation thereof with help of derivatisation techniques comprising, for example, ether bonds to polymers. When producing carbon nanotubes, nanotubes of a variety of chiralities are in general formed. The properties of the nanotube depend on its chirality. One way to refine the properties of nanotube material, is to refine nanotubes with respect to their chirality. There is thus a large need to be able to selectively manipulate carbon nanotubes with respect to their chirality. The method according to the invention amounts to derivatize the carbon nanotube ends with a molecule, which gives the produced complex new properties compared with the nanotube itself, and subsequently selectively to break a bond between the nanotube and the molecule, with respect to the chirality of the nanotube, (step 216). The insight that the strength of the bond between the nanotube and the bonded molecule depends on the chirality of the nanotube opens the way for many applications including selective manipulation of nanotubes.