Muralidhar Jyorthana Rajappa, Kodama Koichi, Hirose Takuji, Ito Yoshihiro, Kawamoto Masuki
Emergent Bioengineering Materials Research Team, RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako 351-0198, Japan.
Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama 338-8570, Japan.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2021 Dec 25;12(1):52. doi: 10.3390/nano12010052.
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have received extensive research attention owing to their extraordinary optical, electrical, and mechanical properties, which make them particularly attractive for application in optoelectronic devices. However, SWCNTs are insoluble in almost all solvents. Therefore, developing methods to solubilize SWCNTs is crucial for their use in solution-based processes. In this study, we developed a photocleavable polythiophene-derivative polymer dispersant for SWCNTs. The noncovalent surface functionalization of SWCNTs with a polymer allows their dispersal in tetrahydrofuran. The resultant solution-processed polymer/SWCNT composite film undergoes a hydrophobic-to-hydrophilic change in surface properties upon light irradiation (313 nm) because hydrophilic carboxyl groups are formed upon photocleavage of the hydrophobic solubilizing units in the polymer. Furthermore, the photocleaved composite film displays a 38-fold increase in electrical conductivity. This is due to the removal of the solubilizing unit, which is electrically insulating.
单壁碳纳米管（SWCNTs）因其非凡的光学、电学和机械性能而受到广泛的研究关注，这使得它们在光电器件中的应用特别具有吸引力。然而，SWCNTs几乎不溶于所有溶剂。因此，开发使SWCNTs溶解的方法对于它们在基于溶液的工艺中的应用至关重要。在本研究中，我们开发了一种用于SWCNTs的可光裂解的聚噻吩衍生物聚合物分散剂。用聚合物对SWCNTs进行非共价表面功能化可使其分散在四氢呋喃中。所得的溶液处理的聚合物/SWCNT复合膜在光照（313 nm）下表面性质会发生由疏水到亲水的变化，这是因为聚合物中疏水增溶单元发生光裂解后形成了亲水羧基。此外，光裂解后的复合膜电导率提高了38倍。这是由于去除了电绝缘的增溶单元。
