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I want to image multiwall-nanotubes with AFM and SEM.
Could anybody provide me with some tips or references on how to prepare good Nanotube-samples for imaging with an AFM?
I have MWCNTs as a dry poder and want to disperse them onto a conductive sample (preferably silicon) so that they can be imaged by AFM and SEM.
What sovents, additives or emulsifying agents (and methods of deposition) would best be used to seperate and disperse the nanotubes on a substrate so that they are nicely seperated and can be imaged by AFM?
Any help would be highly appreciated.
I managed to get relatively nice looking samples on silicon for AFM imaging, and although I was working with single-walled nanotubes I think this approach will work fine for your multi-walled tubes as well. Place a single grain of the nanotube soot in a vial containing 10mldichloroethane and sonicated for 30min, during which time the pellet should completely disappear and the suspension should be clear. A piece of silicon is prepared by cleaning with the Piranha etch [10min immersion in H2SO4(99%):H2O2(30%) 3:1, although if you are unfamiliar with this solution please read up about it yourself as it is extremely dangerous], then placed onto a spin-coater. Immediately after sonication (so as to avoid the risk of flocculation of the nanotubes) 5 drops of the NT-dichloroethanesuspension are dropped onto the silicon at a rate of 1 drop every10s, with the silicon spinning at 4000rpm.
It depends what kind of nanotubes do you have (how were prepared), buttry to put your CNTs to the ethanol or isopropanol. Mix the solution usingultrasonic processor (or ultrasonic bath, for something like one hour).Afterwards deposit the mixture on your substrate, the best using spincoaterand let it dry.