Type and Size Selectivity of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Phenylethynyl Terminated Imide Oligomers

Abstract

Rosi N Gunasinghe, Yusheng Chen, Xiao-Qian Wang, Yi Pang

Aromatic polyimides are well-known as high-performance polymer materials which have excellent properties such as high thermal stability, strong mechanical strength, and superior chemical resistance. However, rigid backbones of oligomers and strong chain interactions result in lower processibility. Our molecular modeling suggests that the enhancement of nanotube solubilization is attributed to the formation of self-assembled intermolecular structures associated with the inclusion of curing agents, in conformity with experimental findings. On the other hand, isolation of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with specific chirality and diameter is critical for achieving optimum performances of SWNTs in various application. Our studies reveal that phenylethynyl terminated imide (PETi) oligomer selectively enriches metallic and semiconducting (6, 5) SWNT.

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