Spectroscopic characterization of contaminants and interaction with gases in single-walled carbon nanotubes Original Research Article

Several spectroscopic techniques have been used to investigate the presence of contaminants in a commercial purified single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) bucky paper, to determine their cleaning procedure in ultra-high-vacuum conditions and to study how impurities influence the interaction between SWCNTs and gas phase molecules. Nickel catalyst particles and sodium-containing species, likely a residual of the surfactant bath, were fully removed only after prolonged (>2 h) annealing at 1270 ± 30 K. Other impurity elements (S and Si) remain in the material as localised clusters that do not interact with the SWCNTs and do not interfere with their properties.