We present an electronic structural analysis of an individual single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) employing electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). An isolated SWNT was supported on a well-defined Au nanodimer structure, which possesses a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) field at the nanogap, and highly intense SERS spectra were measured for the SWNT at the gap regi...

Photoacoustic imaging is a unique modality that overcomes to a great extent the resolution and depth limitations of optical imaging while maintaining relatively high contrast. However, since many diseases will not manifest an endogenous photoacoustic contrast, it is essential to develop exogenous photoacoustic contrast agents that can target diseased tissue(s). Here we present a family of novel...

Our group recently reproduced the water-assisted growth method, so-called "SuperGrowth", of millimeter-thick single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) forests by using C2H4/H2/H2O/Ar reactant gas and Fe/Al2O3, catalyst. In this current work, a parametric study was carried out on both reaction and catalyst conditions. Results revealed that a thin Fe catalyst layer (about 0.5 nm) yielded rapid growth ...

Address correspondence to [email protected] ABSTRACT Density functional theory (DFT) and tight binding (TB) models have been used to study systems containing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and metal clusters that are of relevance to SWNT growth and regrowth. In particular, TB-based Monte Carlo (TBMC) simulations at 1000 or 1500 K show that Ni atoms that are initially on the surface of th...

Photoluminescence properties of semiconducting single-wall carbon-nanotube (s-SWNT) thin films with different metallic single-wall carbon-nanotube (m-SWNT) concentrations are reported. s-SWNT purified samples are obtained by polymer-assisted selective extraction. We show that the presence of a few m-SWNTs in the sample generates a drastic quenching of the emission. Therefore, the highly purifie...

Molecular dynamics (MD) and molecular mechanics (MM) methods have been used to investigate additive-polymer interfacial properties in single walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)-polyethylene and SWNT-polyacrylonitrile composites. Properties such as the interfacial shear stress and bonding energy are similar for the two composites. In contrast, functionalizing the SWNT with carboxylic acid groups leads...

Single-walled carbon nanotube ~SWNT! tips have been used to image nanostructures with high resolution. Studies of gold nanocrystal standards showed that SWNT tips provide a significant improvement in lateral resolution with respect to multi-walled nanotube tips and microfabricated Si tips. The nanotube tips were also used to resolve substructure within SWNTs deposited on surfaces. These results...

Detection of nitric oxide (NO) in vivo by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) is based on the fluorescent properties of SWNT and the ability of NO to quench the fluorescence signal. Alterations of the signal can be utilized to detect a small molecule in vivo that has not previously been possible by other assay techniques. The protocols described here explain the techniques used to prepare NO-...

Ž . We demonstrate that single-wall carbon nanotubes SWNT can be produced by an arc-discharge method using a catalyzed coal carbon source. Characterization by resonant Raman scattering and electron microscopy confirm that this material contains SWNT with properties similar to graphite-derived SWNT. ‘Web-like’ material from our growth process has an estimated yield of 45 wt.% of carbon as SWNT, ...

Recent studies of SWNT/polymer nanocomposites identify the large interfacial thermal resistance at nanotube/nanotube junctions as a primary cause for the only modest increases in thermal conductivity relative to the polymer matrix. To reduce this interfacial thermal resistance, we prepared a freestanding nanotube framework by removing the polymer matrix from a 1 wt % SWNT/PMMA composite by nitr...