Improving Nanotube Florescence

18 June 2007

It has already been discovered that some of the nanotubes are fluorescent. These tiny tubes are fabricated from carbon atoms and glow when light falls on these nanotubes.

Some of the nanotubes have fluorescent spots and some might glow all over. Researchers at VINSE (Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering) have published a research paper in the Journal of American Chemical Society where a fabrication claim of achieving highly fluorescent nanotubes has been discussed. Fluorescent nanotubes has distinct features that can be used for applications including medical applications.

Quantitative efficiency is a major characteristic of any fluorescent material and it is defined as the ratio of no of photons it emits to the number of photons it absorbs. The application of a fluorescent nanotubes depends on various properties including quantum efficiency. Scientists are now able to produce the nanotube that has quantum efficiency of 1 percent and it is hundred times better than the previously fabricated nanotube.

Tobias Hertel, the associate professor of physics who lead the research, expected to get five time boost in quantum efficiency, however the results were surprising and he and his team noticed that the quantum efficiency is improved by 100 times. Herter and his team were successful in separating fluorescent nanotubes from others from the nanotube soot. The nanotube soot was mixed with special soap and after dissolving in water, it was passed through ultracentrifuge for a few times and the upper most layer, a purple layer contained high population of brightest nanotube.

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