Creation of hierarchical carbon nanotube assemblies through alternative packing of complementary semi-artificial β-1,3-glucan/carbon nanotube composites

Much attention has been focused on exploiting novel strategies for the creation of hierarchical polymer assemblies by the control of the assembling number or the relative location among neighboring polymers. We here propose a novel strategy toward the creation of "hierarchical" single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) architectures by utilizing SWNT composites with cationic or anionic complementary semiartificial β-1,3-glucans as "building blocks". These β-1,3-glucans are known to wrap SWNTs helically, to create one-dimensional superstructural composites. If the cationic composite is neutralized by an anionic composite, a well ordered SWNT-based sheet structure was created. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation revealed that this sheet structure is composed of highly-ordered fibrous assemblies of SWNTs. This suggests that the cationic and anionic composites are tightly packed through electrostatic interactions. Moreover, both of the final assembly structures are readily tunable by adjusting the cation/anion ratio. The self-assembling modulation of functional polymers is associated with the progress in ultimate nanotechnologies, thus enabling us to create numerous functional nanomaterials. We believe, therefore, that the present system will extend the frontier of SWNT research to assembly chemistry including "hierarchical" superstructures.