Highly efficient dispersion of individual single-walled carbon nanotubes using biocompatible dispersant

Individual dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in biocompatible media is of particular interest for diverse biomedical and nanomedicine applications. Herein we present, a neutral pH water soluble chitosan derivative, chitosan-hydroxyphenyl acetamide (CHPA), prepared by functionalizing the amino groups of chitosan with 4-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid, as an efficient biocompatible dispersant for the first time to effectively debundle and individually disperse SWNTs in neutral aqueous solution. Evaluation of SWNT-CHPA solution showed superior individual dispersion when compared with samples prepared with other biocompatible dispersants. The highly efficient individual dispersion of SWNTs with the biocompatible dispersant opens up vistas for their applications in bio/nano-medical fields.