Change in Chirality of Semiconducting Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Can Overcome Anionic Surfactant Stabilization: A Systematic Study of Aggregation Kinetics

Single-walled carbon nanotubes' (SWNT) effectiveness in applications is enhanced by debundling or stabilization. Anionic surfactants are known to effectively stabilize SWNTs. However, the role of specific chirality on surfactant-stabilized SWNT aggregation has not been studied to date. The aggregation behavior of chirally enriched (6,5) and (7,6) semiconducting SWNTs, functionalized with three anionic surfactants-sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), and sodium deoxycholate (SDOCO)-was evaluated with time-resolved dynamic light scattering. A wide range of mono- (NaCl) and di-valent (CaCl₂) electrolytes as well as a 2.5 mg TOC/L Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA) were used as background chemistry. Overall, SDBS showed the most effectiveness in SWNT stability, followed by SDOCO and SDS. However, the relatively larger diameter (7,6) chiral tubes compromised the surfactant stability, compared to (6,5) chiral enrichment, due to enhanced van der Waals interaction. The presence of di-valent electrolytes overshadowed the chirality effects and resulted in similar aggregation behavior for both the SWNT samples. Molecular modeling results enumerated key differences in surfactant conformation on SWNT surfaces and identified interaction energy changes between the two chiralities to delineate aggregation mechanisms. The stability of SWNTs increased in the presence of SRHA under 10 mM monovalent and mixed electrolyte conditions. The results suggest that change in chirality can overcome surfactant stabilization of semiconducting SWNTs. SWNT stability can also be strongly influenced by the anionic surfactant structure.

Fractal structures of single-walled carbon nanotubes in biologically relevant conditions: role of chirality vs. media conditions

Aggregate structure of covalently functionalized chiral specific semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) was systematically studied employing static light scattering (SLS). Fractal dimensions (Df) of two specific chirality SWNTs-SG65 and SG76 with (6, 5) and (7, 6) chiral enrichments-were measured under four biological exposure media conditions, namely: Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM), Minimum Essential Medium (MEM), Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640 medium, and 0.9% saline solution. The SWNTs exhibited chiral dependence on Df with SG65 showing more fractal or loosely bound aggregate structures, i.e., lower Df values (range of 2.24±0.03 to 2.64±0.05), compared to the SG76 sample (range of 2.58±0.13 to 2.90±0.08). All the Df values reported are highly reproducible, measured from multiple SLS runs and estimated with 'random block-effects' statistical analysis that yielded all p values to be <0.001. The key mechanism for such difference in Df between the SWNT samples was identified as the difference in van der Waals (VDW) interaction energies of these samples, where higher VDW of SG76 resulted in tighter packing density. Effect of medium type showed lower sensitivity; however, presence of di-valent cations (Ca(2+)) in DMEM and MEM media resulted in relatively loose or more fractal aggregates. Moreover, presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS) and bovine serum albumin (BSA), used to mimic the in vitro cell culture condition, reduced the Df values, i.e., created more fractal structures. Steric hindrance to aggregation was identified as the key mechanism for creating the fractal structures. Also, increase in FBS concentration from 1% to 10% resulted in increasingly lower Df values.

Bioaccumulation and toxicity of single-walled carbon nanotubes to benthic organisms at the base of the marine food chain

As the use of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) increases over time, so does the potential for environmental release. This research aimed to determine the toxicity, bioavailability, and bioaccumulation of SWNTs in marine benthic organisms at the base of the food chain. The toxicity of SWNTs was tested in a whole sediment exposure with the amphipod Ampelisca abdita and the mysid Americamysis bahia. In addition, SWNTs were amended to sediment and/or food matrices to determine their bioavailability and bioaccumulation through these routes in A. abdita, A. bahia, and the estuarine amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus. No significant mortality to any species via sediment or food matrices was observed at concentrations up to 100 ppm. A novel near-infrared fluorescence spectroscopic method was utilized to measure and characterize the body burdens of pristine SWNTs in nondepurated and depurated organisms. We did not detect SWNTs in depurated organisms but quantified them in nondepurated A. abdita fed SWNT-amended algae. After a 28-d exposure to [(14) C]SWNT-amended sediment (100 µg/g) and algae (100 µg/g), [(14) C]SWNT was detected in depurated and nondepurated L. plumulosus amphipods at 0.50 µg/g and 5.38 µg/g, respectively. The results indicate that SWNTs are bioaccessible to marine benthic organisms but do not appear to accumulate or cause toxicity.

Chirality affects aggregation kinetics of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Aggregation kinetics of chiral-specific semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) was systematically studied through time-resolved dynamic light scattering. Varied monovalent (NaCl) and divalent (CaCl(2)) electrolyte composition was used as background solution chemistry. Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA) was used to study the effects of natural organic matter on chirally separated SWNT aggregation. Increasing salt concentration and introduction of divalent cations caused aggregation of SWNT clusters by suppressing the electrostatic repulsive interaction from the oxidized surfaces. The (6,5) SWNTs, i.e., SG65, with relatively lower diameter tubes compared to (7,6), i.e., SG76, showed substantially higher stability (7- and 5-fold for NaCl and CaCl(2), respectively). The critical coagulation concentration (CCC) values were 96 and 13 mM NaCl in the case of NaCl and 2.8 and 0.6 mM CaCl(2) for SG65 and SG76, respectively. The increased tube diameter for (7,6) armchair SWNTs likely presented with higher van der Waals interaction and thus increased the aggregation propensity substantially. The presence of SRHA enhanced SWNT stability in divalent CaCl(2) environment through steric interaction from adsorbed humic molecules; however showed little or no effects for monovalent NaCl. The mechanism of aggregation-describing favorable interaction tendencies for (7,6) SWNTs-is probed through ab initio molecular modeling. The results suggest that SWNT stability can be chirality dependent in typical aquatic environment.