Selection of carbon nanotubes with specific chiralities using helical assemblies of flavin mononucleotide

The chirality of single-walled carbon nanotubes affects many of their physical and electronic properties. Current production methods result in nanotubes of mixed chiralities, so facile extraction of specific chiralities of single-walled carbon nanotubes is an important step in their effective utilization. Here we show that the flavin mononucleotide, a common redox cofactor, wraps around single-walled carbon nanotubes in a helical pattern that imparts efficient individualization and chirality selection. The cooperative hydrogen bonding between adjacent flavin moieties results in the formation of a helical ribbon, which organizes around single-walled carbon nanotubes through concentric pi-pi interactions between the flavin mononucleotide and the underlying graphene wall. The strength of the helical flavin mononucleotide assembly is strongly dependent on nanotube chirality. In the presence of a surfactant, the flavin mononucleotide assembly is disrupted and replaced without precipitation by a surfactant micelle. The significantly higher affinity of the flavin mononucleotide assembly for (8,6)-single-walled carbon nanotubes results in an 85% chirality enrichment from a nanotube sample with broad diameter distribution.