Synthesis
An alternative casting method was developed in 2008 to produce buckypaper that did not require the use of surfactants or the acid oxidation of carbon nanotubes in order to obtain high-purity buckypaper for biomedical applications.
The frit-compression system was adapted from a Solid phase extraction (SPE) column, where a suspension of carbon nanotubes is squeezed between two polypropylene frits (70 micrometre pore diameter) inside a syringe column. The pore structure of the frit allows a rapid exit of the solvent leaving the carbon nanotubes to be pressed together. The presence of the solvent controls the interaction between the tubes allowing the formation of tube-tube junctions; its surface tension directly affects the overlap of adjoining nanotubes thus gaining control over the porosity and pore diameter distribution of buckypaper. The distribution of carbon nanotubes in solvent does not have to be a stable suspension, rather a general dispersion serves much easier to keep the nanotubes between the frits rather than pass through them.
Once the system is compressed, the frit-carbon nanotube sandwich is removed from the syringe housing and allowed to dry. The frits can then be removed to leave intact buckypaper. This methodology rapidly speeds up the casting process, avoids use of surfactants and acid oxidation, and the solvent can be fully recovered.
Read more about this topic: Frit Compression
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