A REVIEW OF PURIFICATION TECHNIQUES FOR CARBON NANOTUBES

Abstract

Purification of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is a very actively discussed topic in contemporary CNT literature. To a large extent, impurities embedded in CNTs influence the physical and chemical characteristics of the CNTs. Different purification methods yield different CNT characteristics and may be suitable for the production of different types of CNTs. Developments in the purification methods of CNTs are reviewed, and the production methods are briefly discussed and summarized. This is followed by a detailed description of the three major purification methods, viz. chemical, physical, and multi-step purification.