The unusual properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) make them attractive for applications in the realm of molecular electronics, but also cause severe experimental difficulties in the purification and handling of these materials. One important step toward routine use of SWCNTs is the development of concentrated, monodisperse suspensions that are suitable for conventional manipulation and chromatography. We have studied the effect of the structure of oligodeoxynucleotides on their ability to generate such suspensions of SWCNTs, as well as the ability to release the nanotubes site-selectively after (local) heating. Interestingly, short DNA strands were found to be better surfactants for the solubilization process than longer ones. The kinetic stability data suggest that the affinity of oligodeoxynucleotides for SWCNTs is greater than that for complementary DNA strands. The implications of this finding for DNA-based nanostructuring are discussed.
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