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A quick and easy way to make carbon nanotubes soluble could pave the way for
a new generation of bright flat-panel displays. Nanotubes tend to clump together
in sooty lumps in solution, which is a problem because researchers want to
spread nanotubes over surfaces. They’ve tried chopping the tiny tubes up or
coating them with polymers. But now researchers at New York University have
found that aniline, a commonly used organic chemical, can loosen the nanotubes
so that they float freely. What’s more, the aniline makes the tubes brightly
fluorescent, so you can see them easily with a scanning electron microscope.