Fluorescence has been observed directly across the band gap of semiconducting carbon nanotubes. We obtained individual nanotubes, each encased in a cylindrical micelle, by ultrasonically agitating an aqueous dispersion of raw single-walled carbon nanotubes in sodium dodecyl sulfate and then centrifuging to remove tube bundles, ropes, and residual catalyst. Aggregation of nanotubes into bundles otherwise quenches the fluorescence through interactions with metallic tubes and substantially broadens the absorption spectra. At pH less than 5, the absorption and emission spectra of individual nanotubes show evidence of band gap-selective protonation of the side walls of the tube. This protonation is readily reversed by treatment with base or ultraviolet light.

Single-wall fullerene nanotubes were converted from nearly endless, highly tangled ropes into short, open-ended pipes that behave as individual macromolecules. Raw nanotube material was purified in large batches, and the ropes were cut into 100- to 300-nanometer lengths. The resulting pieces formed a stable colloidal suspension in water with the help of surfactants. These suspensions permit a variety of manipulations, such as sorting by length, derivatization, and tethering to gold surfaces.

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We describe, in detail, a readily scalable purification process capable of handling single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) material in large batches. Characterization of the resulting material by SEM, TEM, XRD, Raman scattering, and TGA shows it to be highly pure. Resistivity measurements on freestanding mats of the purified tubes are also reported. We also report progress in scaling up SWNT production by the dual pulsed laser vaporization process. These successes enable the production of gram per day quantities of highly pure SWNT, which should greatly facilitate investigation of material properties intrinsic to the nanotubes.