Disaggregation of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) promoted by the ionic liquid-based surfactant1-hexadecyl-3-vinyl-imidazolium bromide in aqueous solution

Abstract

Stable homogeneous aqueous dispersions of pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are obtained by using a water-soluble long-chain imidazolium ionic liquid (hvimBr) above its critical micelle concentration. The amount of hivmBr and the sonication time are two essential factors to obtain a good dispersion. The effective concentration of exfoliated SWNTs in aqueous solution is determined by simple, convenient and rapid UV-visible spectrophotometric measurements.