Size and shape separation of gold nanoparticles with preparative gel electrophoresis.

We employed agarose gel preparative electrophoresis to separate gold nanoparticles based on size, shape, and charge. The separating technique was first demonstrated by size separation of 5 nm, 15 nm, and 20 nm spherical gold nanoclusters; and further evidenced through the purification of crude 15 +/- 2.7 nm nanoclusters to nanoclusters that were 15 +/- 0.

Reinforcing mechanisms of single-walled carbon nanotube-reinforced polymer composites.

The reinforcing mechanisms of single-walled carbon nanotube-reinforced epoxy composites were studied by micromechanics models. The modeling results obtained from both Halpin-Tsai and Mori-Tanaka models are in good agreement with the experimental results. It has been found that these two models are also applicable to other single-walled carbon nanotube-reinforced, amorphous-polymer composites, given the existence of efficient load transfer.

Electrophoretic analysis and purification of fluorescent single-walled carbon nanotube fragments.

Arc-synthesized single-walled carbon nanotubes have been purified through preparative electrophoresis in agarose gel and glass bead matrixes. Two major impurities were isolated: fluorescent carbon and short tubular carbon. Analysis of these two classes of impurities was done.