Separation and optical evaluation of single-wall carbon nanotubes

Abstract

More than 15 years have passed since the discovery of the single-wall carbon nanotube. Since then, high-purity and large quantity production has been achieved and the excellent physical properties of the nanotube have been revealed. However, the use of single-wall carbon nanotubes in common applications is still very limited. One of the main reasons for this is the difficulty of separating semiconducting and metallic phases from the as-grown mixture phase. In this manuscript, the recent significant progress in metal-semiconductor separation technology and a method for optical evaluation of the products are discussed.