Abstract
A water-soluble poly[(m-phenylenevinylene)-alt-(p-phenylenevinylene)] (PmPV) 2 has been synthesized, which exhibits an unsymmetrical substitution pattern on the paraphenylene unit. With one substituent being hydrophilic while the other being hydrophobic, the polymer chain has a higher tendency to fold in aqueous solution, thereby promoting helical conformation. The polymer is found to selectively disperse the single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) of small diameters (d = 0.75-0.84 nm), in sharp contrast to PmPV 1 with a symmetrical substitution pattern. The intriguing diameter-based selectivity is believed to be associated with the confined helical conformation, which provides a suitable cavity to host the SWNT of proper sizes. The study thus provides a useful demonstration that the polymer conformation can have a profound impact on the SWNT sorting.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 701-705 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | ACS Macro Letters |
Volume | 1 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 19 2012 |