A Study of the Dynamic Interaction of Surfactants with Graphite and Carbon Nanotubes using Fmoc-Amino Acids as a Model System

We have studied the dynamic interaction of surfactants with carbon surfaces by using a series of Fmoc(N-(fluorenyl-9-methoxycarbonyl)) terminated amino acid derivatives (Fmoc-X, where X is glycine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, or histidine) as a model system. In these systems, highly conjugated fluorenyl groups and aromatic amino acid side chains interact with the carbon surface, while carboxylate groups provide an overall negative charge. Ideal carbon surfaces were selected which possessed either predominantly macroscale (graphite) or nanoscale features (multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) mats). The adsorption equilibrium for the Fmoc-X solutions with the graphitic surfaces was well-described by the Freundlich model. When a library containing various Fmoc-X compounds were exposed to a target graphite surface, Fmoc-tryptophan was found to bind preferentially at the expense of the other components present, leading to a substantial difference in the observed binding behavior compared to individual adsorption experiments. This approach therefore provides a straightforward means to identify good surfactants within a library of many candidates. Finally, the fully reversible nature of Fmoc-X binding was demonstrated by switching the surface chemistry of carbon substrate through sequential exposure to surfactants with increasing binding energies.