Tweezers Trap Nanotubes by Color

Nanotubes are known for their strong color-dependant interactions with light. By using an optical tweezer, a device that traps microscopic or nanoscopic objects in laser beams, researchers were able to selectively pull only specific colors of nanotube into focus.

Their results are the first experimental evidence demonstrating that colored light drives the clustering of nanotubes in a laser tweezer. Moreover, this color dependence can be exploited to select one type of nanotube over another. The study is a significant step towards developing optical methods for sorting and purification of nanotubes, a process that remains a major challenge for the application of nanotubes to engineering.

Citation: T. Rodgers, S. Shoji, Z. Sekkat and S. Satoshi Kawata, Physical Review Letters, http://link.aps.or … v101/e127402

Source: American Physical Society