Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes(Swnts or SWCNTs) have unique characteristics,
but to express them they must be individually dispersed.
This process results in a solution containing 70% metallic Swnts and leaves a gel containing 95% semiconducting Swnts.
However, unfragmented PL-PEG
promotes specific cellular uptake of targeted Swnts to two distinct classes of receptors expressed by cancer cells.
It is difficult to study the chemical modification of SWCNTs at the molecular level,
because is difficult to obtain pure Swnts.
Swnts as other nanoparticles show very high attraction forces, so
that a powerful and efficient technique is needed for a reliable deagglomeration and dispersion.
Since fragmentation is a likely consequence of ultrasonication,
a technique commonly used to disperse Swnts, this maybe a concern for certain applications such as drug delivery.
(2009) demonstrated that the dispersion of single walled carbon nanotubes(Swnts) by ultrasonication with phospholipid-polyethylene glycol(PL-PEG)
fragments it, thereby interfering with its ability to block nonspecific uptake by cells.