Department of Organic Chemistry, Bioorganic Chemistry and Biotechnology, Silesian University of Technology, B. Krzywoustego 4, 44-100, Gliwice, Poland.
Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
Sci Rep. 2021 May 19;11(1):10618. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-89839-4.
Chirality purification of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is desirable for applications in many fields, but general utility is currently hampered by low throughput. We discovered a method to obtain single-chirality SWCNT enrichment by the aqueous two-phase extraction (ATPE) method in a single step. To achieve appropriate resolution, a biphasic system of non-ionic tri-block copolymer surfactant is varied with an ionic surfactant. A nearly-monochiral fraction of SWCNTs can then be harvested from the top phase. We also found, via high-throughput, near-infrared excitation-emission photoluminescence spectroscopy, that the parameter space of ATPE can be mapped to probe the mechanics of the separation process. Finally, we found that optimized conditions can be used for sorting of SWCNTs wrapped with ssDNA as well. Elimination of the need for surfactant exchange and simplicity of the separation process make the approach promising for high-yield generation of purified single-chirality SWCNT preparations.
手性纯化单壁碳纳米管（SWCNTs）对于许多领域的应用是可取的，但目前由于产量低而受到限制。我们发现了一种通过水相两相萃取（ATPE）方法在一步中获得单一手性 SWCNT 富集的方法。为了达到适当的分辨率，用离子表面活性剂改变非离子三嵌段共聚物表面活性剂的双相体系。然后可以从顶部相中收获几乎单手性的 SWCNT 馏分。我们还通过高通量近红外激发-发射光致发光光谱发现，ATPE 的参数空间可以映射以探测分离过程的力学。最后，我们发现优化的条件可以用于 ssDNA 包裹的 SWCNTs 的分类。表面活性剂交换的消除和分离过程的简单性使该方法有望用于高产率地生成纯化的单一手性 SWCNT 制剂。
