Synthesis and characterization of water soluble single-walled carbon nanotube graft copolymers

Poly(aminobenzene sulfonic acid) (PABS) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were covalently attached to single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) to form water-soluble graft copolymers. Quantitative near-IR (NIR) spectroscopic studies of these SWNT graft copolymers indicate a water solubility of about 5 mg/mL, and atomic force microscopy studies show a fairly uniform length and diameter. On the basis of thermogravimetric analysis, the loading of SWNTs in the graft copolymers is estimated to be 30% for SWNT-PABS and 71% for SWNT-PEG. NIR spectroscopic studies of SWNT-PABS show that this graft copolymer has a ground state that is a hybrid of the electronic structures of the isolated PABS and SWNT macromolecules.