Nano Express
Dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotubes modified with poly-l-tyrosine in water
1 Bio-Nano Electronics Research Centre, Toyo University 2100, Kujirai, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-8585, Japan
2 Faculty of Life Sciences, Toyo University 1-1-1 Izumino, Itakura-machi, Oura-gun, Gunma 374-0113, Japan
3 Graduate School of Life Sciences, Toyo University, 1-1-1 Izumino, Itakura-machi, Oura-gun, Gunma 374-0113, Japan
4 Graduate School of Interdisciplinary New Science, Toyo University, 2100, Kujirai, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-8585, Japan
5 Asylum Technology Co. Ltd., 3-20-12 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0034, Japan
Nanoscale Research Letters 2011, 6:128 doi:10.1186/1556-276X-6-128
Published: 10 February 2011Abstract
In this study, complexes composed of poly-l-tyrosine (pLT) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were produced and the dispersibility of the pLT/SWCNT complexes in water by measuring the ζ potential of the complexes and the turbidity of the solution were investigated. It is found that the absolute value of the ζ potential of the pLT/SWCNT complexes is as high as that of SWCNTs modified with double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and that the complexes remain stably dispersed in the water at least for two weeks. Thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and visualization of the surface structures of pLT/SWCNT complexes using an atomic force microscope (AFM) were also carried out.
