Multiwalled carbon nanotubes were purified and size-separated by a multiste
p! microfiltration process through a sequence of track-etched polycarbonate
membranes of various pore sizes in both dead-ended and crossflow mode. For
this cascade microfiltration, the electric are derived raw multiwalled sam
ples were suspended in an aqueous solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate in dei
onized water. By examining the deposits on the membrane surfaces and in the
permeate suspensions with scanning electron microscopy and atomic force mi
croscopy, the nanotube fractionation was confirmed and analyzed. These scan
ning techniques showed that the components of the crude sample, which inclu
ded carbon nanotubes, polyhedral nanoparticles, and large aggregates, were
separated from each other during the filtration. In addition, fractionation
of the multiwalled carbon nanotubes according to length was possible.