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Surfactant Assisted Dispersion Of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes In Polyvinylpyrrolidone Solutions, Tennison Yu
Surfactant Assisted Dispersion Of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes In Polyvinylpyrrolidone Solutions, Tennison Yu
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Obtaining stable aqueous dispersions is one of the main challenges hindering a widespread and effective use of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) in many applications. Although it has been recognized that their versatility makes them an extremely attractive material, the unique molecular structure that gives SWNTs their unmatched electronic, mechanical, and thermal properties is also responsible for strong van der Waals interactions. This, combined with extremely high aspect ratios and flexibility, causes SWNTs to adhere strongly into tightly bundled ropes. In these bundles, SWNTs are not as useful as their linearized unbundled equivalents. Thus, in order to take advantage of their …