Noncovalent MWCNT dispersion

The majority of studies have used surfactants that wrap around nanocarbons via van der Waals interactions [37]. For instance, surfactants such as sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) are commonly used to disperse CNTs in aqueous solutions [38,39] while other surfactants, such as Pluorinc-123, are used to mechanically exfoliate graphene from graphite flakes (Fig. 5.4(a)) [40,41]. The polar head group of the surfactant can be used to further hybridize the nanocarbon via a range of covalent or noncovalent interactions [42]. For example, nanoparticles of Pt [43,44] and Pd [45] have been decorated onto SDS-wrapped MWCNTs. Similarly, Whitsitt et al. evaluated various surfactants for their ability to facilitate the deposition of Si02 NPs onto SWCNTs [46,47]. As an exam-... 

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