NER: High Volume Chemical Syntheses of SWNTs with Uniform, Tunable Properties

本研究的目的是开发具有均匀但可调的尺寸和性质的单壁纳米管分子的大体积化学合成。该方法是一个两阶段的化学合成。在第一阶段，C60分子以非对映选择性的同步方式在大的苯基取代的环烯上添加，以产生具有可变直径的环烯（即环状环烯）分子。环芳烃分子直接映射到锯齿形的碳纳米管上。在第二阶段，环芳烃被反复寡聚形成可变长度的单壁纳米管分子。这项研究很重要，因为它提供了一种制备均匀批次单壁纳米管分子的方法。虽然单壁碳纳米管在各种技术应用中具有很大的前景，包括化学和生物传感器，高效能量存储（例如，气体和电池应用），纳米级电子学(例如，纳米电路中的一维量子线；纳米晶体管)、纳米机电系统（即NEMS）、新型致动器、多功能材料（如轻质、高强、节能、导电等）和先进的仪器（如AFM、STM和CFM探针头），目前的碳纳米管制造技术生产出无数种不同的纳米管，具有不同的长度、直径、形状和性能。缺乏均匀批次的碳纳米管阻碍了这些重要技术的发展。此外，在这种大批量化学合成中制备的单壁纳米管分子应该易于化学功能化。适当功能化的单壁纳米管分子可以在其他试剂存在的情况下选择性地结合一种试剂（化学或生物），从而改善和扩大其作为化学和生物传感器的应用。

The objective of this research is to develop a high-volume chemical synthesis of single-walled nanotubular molecules with uniform but tunable dimensions and properties. The approach is a two-stage chemical synthesis. In the first stage, C60 molecules add in a diastereoselective syn fashion across large, phenyl substituted acenes to produce cyclacene (i.e., cyclic acene) molecules with variable diameters. Cyclacene molecules map directly onto zig-zag carbon nanotubes. In the second stage, the cyclacenes are iteratively oligomerized to form single-walled nanotubular molecules with variable lengths. This research is important because it offers a means to prepare uniform batches of single-walled nanotubular molecules. While single-walled carbon nanotubes hold great promise in a variety of technological applications including chemical and biological sensors, efficient energy storage (e.g., gas and battery applications), nanoscale electronics (e.g., one-dimensional quantum wires in nanocircuitry; nanotransistors), nanoscale electromechanical systems (i.e., NEMS), novel actuators, multifunctional materials (e.g., lightweight, high strength, energy efficient, electrically conducting, etc.) and advanced instrumentation (e.g., AFM, STM and CFM probe tips), current carbon nanotube fabrication techniques produce a myriad of different nanotubes possessing different lengths, diameters, shapes and properties. The absence of uniform batches of carbon nanotubes hinders the development of these important technologies. Additionally, the single-walled nanotubular molecules to be prepared in this high-volume chemical synthesis should be amenable to facile chemical functionalization. Appropriately functionalized single-walled nanotubular molecules can selectively bind one agent (chemical or biological) in the presence of others, thereby improving and expanding their application as chemical and biological sensors.