Photoluminescent single wall carbon nanotube-silica composite gels

Optically homogeneous single wall carbon nanotube-silica gel composites are prepared from aqueous supensions using a sol-gel process. The gels display a strong photoluminescent signal which indicates that no aggregation occurs during gelation, i.e. that the nanotubes are essentially dispersed as individuals in the composites. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.