Isolation of water soluble carbon nanotubes with network structure possessing multipodal junctions and its magnetic property

Water soluble carbon nanotubes (wsCNTs) with network structure possessing multipodal junctions were isolated by the oxidative treatment of carbon soot (generally discarded as waste during fullerene synthesis) using dilute nitric acid as black crystalline solid. wsCNTs having multipodal junctions are highly soluble in water due to the incorporation of adequate amount of hydrophilic carboxylic acid groups. Microscopic investigation shows the presence of extensive networked wsCNTs possessing different types of junctions such as tri (“Y”, “T”), tetrapodal, pentapodal and even “H” type junctions. Furthermore these wsCNTs possessing interesting magnetic properties due to presence of multipodal junctions and defective surfacial structures, usually known as surfacial ‘defects’ on graphitic pool (sp2 hybridized carbon atoms) of nanotubes. Easy solubility along with magnetic properties makes these wsCNTs to be used as a potential probe for their use in biological and spintronic applications respectively.