Dispersion, templating, and imprinting of carbon nanostructures

CHED 314

David R. Davis, davisdr@westminster.edu, Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA 16172 and Dr. Susan V. Olesik, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
Carbon nanostructure research is a field that shows promise for future applications in many fields, such as biomedical research, materials science, and production of consumer products. However, many of these nanostructures tend to aggregate and lose their unique properties. In this project, the dispersion of carbon nanoparticles was optimized through use of surfactants, and the synthesis of molecularly imprinted nanofibers and aerogels was attempted. Various types of surfactants were used in varying ratios and concentrations in both aqueous and organic solvents. Organized surface assembly was attempted with a templating method, and through imprinting of an R/F aerogel synthesized using both a freeze-drying method and a supercritical drying method. While Triton X-100 was found to be a superior surfactant in both organic and aqueous media, much future work is needed to continue the surface assembly studies.