Analysis of Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes in -Cresol.

We analyzed the dispersion state of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in -cresol using dispersion stability analysis, optical microscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The high dispersion stability of CNT/-cresol dispersion was observed when it was sufficiently treated with ultrasonication. Despite the high dispersion stability, optical microscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy analysis of various CNT/-cresol dispersions revealed that CNT bundles in -cresol were not dispersed into individual CNTs. We also propose that the blue-shift of the G peak of CNTs in -cresol in the Raman spectrum, which had been reported as evidence of the formation of the charge-transfer complex between -cresol and CNTs, is rather attributed to the interference of -cresol's inherent peak at around 1600 cm.