High-resolution separation of multiple single-chirality carbon nanotubes in organic media via ethanol and bundle regulation

Polymer wrapping is particularly attractive for single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) device because it produces nanotube dispersions in device-compatible organic solvents that enable uniform, well-oriented ultrathin films. However, achieving single-chirality SWCNTs in organic polymer systems has remained a long-standing challenge due to insufficient chirality resolution. Here we report a simple, scalable, and universal polymer-based separation strategy enabled by ethanol–bundle synergy, delivering a significant quantitative advance in separation resolution. Ethanol induces selective polymer desorption and amplifies chirality-dependent coating differences. Regulated undispersed SWCNT bundles enhance chirality recognition by selectively capturing weakly coated species, which promotes selective aggregation and improves chirality selectivity. As a result, we obtain eight single-chirality SWCNT species in organic systems, including (6, 5), (7, 5), (7, 6), (8, 6), (8, 7), (9, 7), (10, 5), and (10, 6). Five species exceed 90% purity, and (8, 6), (9, 7), (8, 7), and (10, 6) are firstly obtained as single-chirality products in polymer systems. This method delivers substantially higher purity and a much broader set of isolated chiralities than prior polymer-only approaches, while providing a dramatic improvement in yield and cost effectiveness relative to typical aqueous routes. This work establishes a universal design paradigm to boost polymer-based separation resolution and accelerate SWCNT electronics and optoelectronics.