Patent ID: 8365923

Claim:
A method of separating at least one carbon nanotube having a desired diameter and/or chirality from a mixture of carbon nanotubes having different diameters and/or chiralities comprising: (a) selecting a calixarene of formula (I): wherein n ≧4; X is PO 3 H 2 , R a —PO 3 H, SO 3 H, or R a —SO 3 H; Y is R b , OH, or OR b ; and R a and R b are independently selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted alkyl, optionally substituted aryl, optionally substituted arylene alkyl and optionally substituted alkylene aryl; (b) combining the mixture of carbon nanotubes with the selected calixarene of step (a), in an aqueous solvent, to produce an aqueous supernatant containing the carbon nanotube(s) having the desired diameter and/or chirality; and (c) separating the aqueous supernatant of step (b) containing the carbon nanotube(s), from a residue comprising the remaining carbon nanotubes of the mixture.