Surface Adsorption and Replacement of Acid-Oxidized Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) Chains

Abstract

Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) was used to investigate the adsorption of acid-oxidized single-walled carbon nanotubes (Ox-SWNTs) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), PVP. It was found for the first time that Ox-SWNTs adsorbed onto the QCM electrode can be effectively replaced by PVP chains in an aqueous solution. This replacement process was also investigated by atomic force miscroscopic (AFM) imaging, which shows good agreement with the QCM measurements. This study provides powerful tools for fundamental investigation of polymer-nanotube interactions and for controlled design/fabrication of functional polymer-nanotube surfaces for potential applications.