Debundling of SWCNTs through a simple intercalation technique

An attempt was made to debundle single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) bundle through intercalation techniques as in exfoliation of graphite. For this, SWCNT paper and lithium metal foil were simply short-circuited through electrolytes including lithium ions, and cathodic intercalation of lithium ions together with solvent molecules between the tubes that was expected to enlarge the spaces. It was found that the SWCNT paper could expand greatly through this technique using dimethyl sulfoxide electrolyte, and evidence of the intercalation reaction was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry. The paper after the debundling had some gaps between individual tubes in the bundles in the TEM picture, which were created through the present intercalation technique without any damage to the tubes themselves.