Length-dependent Raman spectroscopy of single-walled carbon nanotubes: the effect of dispersant on defects

We compare Raman spectra from aqueous suspensions of length-separated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) dispersed using either polymer adsorption of single-stranded DNA or miscelle encapsulation with sodium deoxycholate surfactant. The Raman spectral features, other than the D-band, increase monotonically with nanotube length in both dispersion schemes. The intensity ratio of the disorder-induced D to G' Raman bands decays as a function of SWCNT length, proportional to 1/L, as expected for endcap defects. While the UV-vis absorption and fluorescence also increase with length for both dispersants, the fluorescence intensity is dramatically lower for DNA-wrapped SWCNTs of equal length. The similarities in the length-dependent D/G' ratios exclude defects as an explanation for the fluorescence decrease in DNA versus deoxycholate dispersions.