Use of UV-Vis Spectrophotometry for Characterization of Carbon Nanostructures: a Review

Abstract

A detailed review of the application of the method of absorption spectrophotometry in the ultraviolet and visible regions for the study of carbon nanostructures (CNSs), such as graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), their hybrids, etc., is presented. It is shown that such CNSs have characteristic absorption bands in the UV-Vis regions of the spectrum, and the intensity of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks is proportional to their concentration in suspensions. It is established that the absorption of light by carbon nanostructures is described by the Lambert–Beer law, regardless of the structure or method of preparation of such systems. It is shown that spectroscopy in the UV-Vis regions is a fast, affordable, universal, and inexpensive method of identification and qualitative and quantitative characterization of CNSs.