Insight into the mechanism of sidewall functionalization of single-walled nanotubes: an STM study

Nanotube Functionalization: Investigation, Methods and Demonstrated Applications

This review presents an update on nanotube functionalization, including an investigation of their methods and applications. The review starts with the discussion of microscopy and spectroscopy investigations of functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The results of transmission electron microscopy and scanning tunnelling microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and resistivity measurements are summarized. The update on the methods of the functionalization of CNTs, such as covalent and non-covalent modification or the substitution of carbon atoms, is presented. The demonstrated applications of functionalized CNTs in nanoelectronics, composites, electrochemical energy storage, electrode materials, sensors and biomedicine are discussed.

Controlled introduction of defects into single-walled carbon nanotubes via a fluorination-defluorination strategy using xenon difluoride and their alkaline oxygen reduction reaction catalytic activity

The defect edges in carbon nanomaterials have attracted attention as catalytic active sites for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of the cathode in electrolyte fuel cells, and the defect control in carbon nanomaterials is becoming increasingly important. This study evaluates a fluorination-defluorination strategy for the controlled introduction of defects into single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) involving the fluorination of SWCNTs using xenon difluoride (XeF₂) and their subsequent defluorination through thermal annealing. We synthesized fluorinated SWCNTs with different fluorine contents using gaseous XeF₂ and annealed the fluorinated SWCNTs at 1000 °C for 3 h under nitrogen gas flow. Structural analyses revealed that SWCNTs derived from fluorinated SWCNTs with low fluorine contents primarily had single point defects. In contrast, SWCNTs derived from fluorinated SWCNTs with high fluorine contents had vacancy defects with edges. According to the ORR catalyst evaluation in alkaline aqueous solution, SWCNTs with edge defects, rather than point defects, can improve the efficiency of ORR catalytic activity. The proposed fluorination-defluorination strategy using gaseous XeF₂ is expected to enable the controlled introduction of defects in different types of carbon materials.

Sulfur-Modified Carbon Nanotubes for the Development of Advanced Elastomeric Materials

The outstanding properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) present some limitations when introduced into rubber matrices, especially when these nano-particles are applied in high-performance tire tread compounds. Their tendency to agglomerate into bundles due to van der Waals interactions, the strong influence of CNT on the vulcanization process, and the adsorptive nature of filler-rubber interactions contribute to increase the energy dissipation phenomena on rubber-CNT compounds. Consequently, their expected performance in terms of rolling resistance is limited. To overcome these three important issues, the CNT have been surface-modified with oxygen-bearing groups and sulfur, resulting in an improvement in the key properties of these rubber compounds for their use in tire tread applications. A deep characterization of these new materials using functionalized CNT as filler was carried out by using a combination of mechanical, equilibrium swelling and low-field NMR experiments. The outcome of this research revealed that the formation of covalent bonds between the rubber matrix and the nano-particles by the introduction of sulfur at the CNT surface has positive effects on the viscoelastic behavior and the network structure of the rubber compounds, by a decrease of both the loss factor at 60 °C (rolling resistance) and the non-elastic defects, while increasing the crosslink density of the new compounds.

Doping Capabilities of Fluorine on the UV Absorption and Emission Spectra of Pyrene-Based Graphene Quantum Dots

Functionalization of quantum carbon dots (QCDs) and graphene quantum dots (GQDs) is a popular way to tune their optical spectra increasing their potential applicability in material science and biorelated disciplines. Based on the experimental observation, functionalization by fluorine atoms induces substantial shifts in absorption and emission spectra and an intensity increase. Understanding of the effects due to fluorine functionalization at the atomic scale level is still challenging due to the complex structure of fluorinated QCDs. In this work, the effect of covalent edge-fluorination and fluorine anion doping on absorption and emission spectra of prototypical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons pyrene and circum-pyrene has been investigated. The ways to achieve efficient red-shifts in the UV spectra and obtaining reasonable intensities stood in the focus of the work. High-level quantum chemical methods based on density functional theory/multireference configuration interaction (DFT/MRCI) and single-reference second-order algebraic diagrammatic construction (ADC(2)) and density functional theory (DFT) using the CAM-B3LYP functional have been used for this purpose. The calculations show that doping with the fluoride anion can have significant effects on the electronic spectrum. However, the effect of the fluoride ion is strongly dependent on its position with respect to the QCD. The localization above the GQDs causes large red-shifts to both the absorption and emission of spectra of GQDs, while in-plane localization leads to only negligible shifts and a tendency to dissociation after electronic excitation. Thus, large red-shifts, observed in complexes with F^-, are obtained due to the introduction of new excited states with large CT character not yet been considered previously in this context, although they have the potential to significantly influence the photophysics of quantum dots. Doping by edge fluorination redshifts the spectra only slightly. This study provides insights on fluorine-doped GQDs, which is conducive to promoting its rational design and controllable synthesis.

First-principles studies of electronic properties in lithium metasilicate (Li2SiO3)

Lithium metasilicate (Li2SiO3), which could serve as the electrolyte material in Li+-based batteries, exhibits unique lattice symmetry (an orthorhombic crystal), valence and conduction bands, charge density distribution, and van Hove singularities. Delicate analyses, based on reliable first-principles calculations, are utilized to identify the critical multi-orbital hybridizations in Li-O and Si-O bonds, 2s-(2s, 2p x , 2p y , 2p z ) and (3s, 3p x , 3p y , 3p z )-(2s, 2p x , 2p y , 2p z ), respectively. This system shows a huge indirect gap of 5.077 eV. Therefore, there exist many strong covalent bonds, with obvious anisotropy and non-uniformity. On the other hand, the spin-dependent magnetic configurations are thoroughly absent. The theoretical framework could be generalized to explore the essential properties of cathode and anode materials of oxide compounds.

Carbon Nanotubes in Biomedicine

Nowadays, biomaterials have become a crucial element in numerous biomedical, preclinical, and clinical applications. The use of nanoparticles entails a great potential in these fields mainly because of the high ratio of surface atoms that modify the physicochemical properties and increases the chemical reactivity. Among them, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged as a powerful tool to improve biomedical approaches in the management of numerous diseases. CNTs have an excellent ability to penetrate cell membranes, and the sp² hybridization of all carbons enables their functionalization with almost every biomolecule or compound, allowing them to target cells and deliver drugs under the appropriate environmental stimuli. Besides, in the new promising field of artificial biomaterial generation, nanotubes are studied as the load in nanocomposite materials, improving their mechanical and electrical properties, or even for direct use as scaffolds in body tissue manufacturing. Nevertheless, despite their beneficial contributions, some major concerns need to be solved to boost the clinical development of CNTs, including poor solubility in water, low biodegradability and dispersivity, and toxicity problems associated with CNTs' interaction with biomolecules in tissues and organs, including the possible effects in the proteome and genome. This review performs a wide literature analysis to present the main and latest advances in the optimal design and characterization of carbon nanotubes with biomedical applications, and their capacities in different areas of preclinical research.

Controlling the Degree of Functionalization: In-Depth Quantification and Side-Product Analysis of Diazonium Chemistry on SWCNTs

We present an in-depth qualitative and quantitative analysis of a reaction between 4-iodobenzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) via thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry (TG-MS) or a gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (TG-GC-MS) as well as Raman spectroscopy. We propose a method for precise determination of the degree of functionalization and quantification of physisorbed aromates, detaching around their boiling point, alongside covalently bonded ones (cleavage over 200 °C). While the presence of some side products like phenol- or biphenyl species could be excluded, residual surfactant and minor amounts of benzene could be identified. A concentration-dependent experiment shows that the degree of functionalization increases with the logarithm of the concentration of applied diazonium salt, which can be exploited to precisely adjust the amount of aryl addends on the nanotube sidewall, up to 1 moiety per 100 carbon atoms.

Low temperature preparation of highly fluorinated multiwalled carbon nanotubes activated by Fe3O4 to enhance microwave absorbing property

Conventional approaches to preparing highly fluorinated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) always require a high temperature. This paper presents a catalytic approach to realizing the effective fluorination of MWNCTs at room temperature (RT). Fe₃O₄/MWCNTs composites with Fe₃O₄ loaded on MWCNTs were first prepared using the solvothermal method, followed by fluorination treatment at RT. The attachment of Fe₃O₄ changes the charge distribution and dramatically improves the fluorination activity of MWCNTs. Consequently, the fluorine content of fluorinated Fe₃O₄/MWCNTs (F-Fe₃O₄/MWCNTs) can reach up to 17.13 at% (almost six times that of the unloaded sample) only after fluorination at room temperature, which leads to an obvious decrease in permittivity. Besides, the partial fluorination of Fe₃O₄ brings about abnormally enhanced permeability due to strengthened exchange resonance. Benefiting from the lower permittivity and higher permeability, F-Fe₃O₄/CNTs composite exhibits increased impedance matching and thus an enhanced microwave absorption property with a minimal reflection loss of -45 dB at 2.61 mm when the filler content is 13 wt%. The efficient absorption bandwidth (<-10 dB) reaches 4.1 GHz when the thickness is 2.5 mm. This work illustrates a novel catalytic approach to preparing highly fluorinated MWCNTs as promising microwave absorbers, and the design concept can also be extended to the fluorination of other carbon materials.

Investigation of the dispersion behavior of fluorinated MWCNTs in various solvents

The heterogeneous structure of fluorinated MWCNTs was demonstrated through exploring their dispersion behavior in solvents.

Structure-Dependent Thermal Defunctionalization of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Covalent sidewall functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is an important tool for tailoring their properties for research purposes and applications. In this study, SWCNT samples were first functionalized by reductive alkylation using metallic lithium and 1-iodododecane in liquid ammonia. Samples of the alkyl-functionalized SWCNTs were then pyrolyzed under an inert atmosphere at selected temperatures between 100 and 500 °C to remove the addends. The extent of defunctionalization was assessed using a combination of thermogravimetric analysis, Raman measurements of the D, G, and radial breathing bands, absorption spectroscopy of the first- and second-order van Hove peaks, and near-IR fluorescence spectroscopy of (n,m)-specific emission bands. These measurements all indicate a substantial dependence of defunctionalization rate on nanotube diameter, with larger diameter nanotubes showing more facile loss of addends. The effective activation energy for defunctionalization is estimated to be a factor of ∼1.44 greater for 0.76 nm diameter nanotubes as compared to those with 1.24 nm diameter. The experimental findings also reveal the quantitative variation with functionalization density of the Raman D/G intensity ratio and the relative near-IR fluorescence intensity. Pyrolyzed samples show spectroscopic properties that are equivalent to those of SWCNTs prior to functionalization. The strong structure dependence of the defunctionalization rate suggests an approach for scalable diameter sorting of mixed SWCNT samples.

Mechanochemistry of fullerenes and related materials

The low or lack of solubility of fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene/graphite in organic solvents and water severely hampers the study of their chemical functionalizations and practical applications. Covalent and noncovalent functionalizations of fullerenes and related materials via mechanochemistry seem appealing to tackle these problems. In this review article, we provide a comprehensive coverage on the mechanochemical reactions of fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphite, including dimerizations and trimerizations, nucleophilic additions, 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, Diels-Alder reactions, [2 + 1] cycloadditions of carbenes and nitrenes, radical additions, oxidations, etc. It is intriguing to find that some reactions of fullerenes can only proceed under solvent-free conditions or undergo different reaction pathways from those of the liquid-phase counterparts to generate completely different products. We also present the application of the mechanical milling technique to complex formation, nanocomposite formation and enhanced hydrogen storage of carbon-related materials.

Wet chemical functionalization of graphene

The fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and graphene have enriched the family of carbon allotropes over the last few decades. Synthetic carbon allotropes (SCAs) have attracted chemists, physicists, and materials scientists because of the sheer multitude of their aesthetically pleasing structures and, more so, because of their outstanding and often unprecedented properties. They consist of fully conjugated p-electron systems and are considered topologically confined objects in zero, one, or two dimensions. Among the SCAs, graphene shows the greatest potential for high-performance applications, in the field of nanoelectronics, for example. However, significant fundamental research is still required to develop graphene chemistry. Chemical functionalization of graphene will increase its dispersibility in solvents, improve its processing into new materials, and facilitate the combination of graphene's unprecedented properties with those of other compound classes. On the basis of our experience with fullerenes and carbon nanotubes, we have described a series of covalent and noncovalent approaches to generate graphene derivatives. Using water-soluble perylene surfactants, we could efficiently exfoliate graphite in water and prepare substantial amounts of single-layer-graphene (SLG) and few-layer-graphene (FLG). At the same time, this approach leads to noncovalent graphene derivatives because it establishes efficient π-π-stacking interactions between graphene and the aromatic perylene chromophors supported by hydrophobic interactions. To gain efficient access to covalently functionalized graphene we employed graphite intercalation compounds (GICs), where positively charged metal cations are located between the negatively charged graphene sheets. The balanced combination of intercalation combined with repulsion driven by Coulombic interactions facilitated efficient exfoliation and wet chemical functionalization of the electronically activated graphene sheets via trapping with reactive electrophilic addends. For example, the treatment of reduced graphite with aryl diazonium salts with the elimination of N(2) led to the formation of arylated graphene. We obtained alkylated graphene via related trapping reactions with alkyl iodides. These new developments have opened the door for combining the unprecedented properties of graphene with those of other compound classes. We expect that further studies of the principles of graphene reactivity, improved characterization methods, and better synthetic control over graphene derivatives will lead to a whole series of new materials with highly specific functionalities and enormous potential for attractive applications.

THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PARAMETERS ON THE FUNCTIONALIZATION OF MWCNTs VIA ACID TREATMENT

In this report, the functionalization of MWCNTs in sulfuric/nitric acid is studied, and the influences of acid concentration, temperature and time on functionalization are assessed. Fourier Transmission Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to study the functional groups of different samples. The optimal results for complete functionalization were achieved by the addition of 5 mg/ml of MWCNTs to acid, at a temperature of 100°C with 3 h of soaking time. The correlation between the FTIR and Raman spectra of the optimized sample was determined, and the effect of functional groups on the G and D bands is discussed.

Joining carbon nanotubes

To fully exploit the exceptional electronic and mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes in real-world applications, it is desirable to create carbon nanotube networks in which separate, multiple nanotubes are joined so that as many as possible of the properties of single nanotubes are conserved. In this review we summarize the progress made towards this goal, covering techniques including electron and ion beam irradiation, Joule heating and spark plasma sintering.

Confined propagation of covalent chemical reactions on single-walled carbon nanotubes

Covalent chemistry typically occurs randomly on the graphene lattice of a carbon nanotube because electrons are delocalized over thousands of atomic sites, and rapidly destroys the electrical and optical properties of the nanotube. Here we show that the Billups-Birch reductive alkylation, a variant of the nearly century-old Birch reduction, occurs on single-walled carbon nanotubes by defect activation and propagates exclusively from sp(3) defect sites, with an estimated probability more than 1,300 times higher than otherwise random bonding to the 'π-electron sea'. This mechanism quickly leads to confinement of the reaction fronts in the tubular direction. The confinement gives rise to a series of interesting phenomena, including clustered distributions of the functional groups and a constant propagation rate of 18 ± 6  nm per reaction cycle that allows straightforward control of the spatial pattern of functional groups on the nanometre length scale.

Gold-Substrate-Enhanced Scanning Electron Microscopy of Functionalized Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Functionalized regions of a single-wall carbon nanotube were resolved by scanning electron microscopy at 1 kV when the functionalized nanotube was placed on a gold substrate. Beam energy and substrate dependence studies suggest that the sharp imaging contrast arises from an increase in the yield of secondary electrons as compared to gold due to covalent modification of the nanotube. Using this surprisingly simple technique, it becomes possible to rapidly map surface functionalization on individual carbon nanotubes with a spatial resolution better than 10 nm. This new functionalization imaging technique may facilitate spatial control of surface chemistry and defect engineering in carbon nanomaterials.

Properties of fluorinated graphene films

Graphene films grown on Cu foils have been fluorinated with xenon difluoride (XeF(2)) gas on one or both sides. When exposed on one side the F coverage saturates at 25% (C(4)F), which is optically transparent, over 6 orders of magnitude more resistive than graphene, and readily patterned. Density functional calculations for varying coverages indicate that a C(4)F configuration is lowest in energy and that the calculated band gap increases with increasing coverage, becoming 2.93 eV for one C(4)F configuration. During defluorination, we find hydrazine treatment effectively removes fluorine while retaining graphene's carbon skeleton. The same films may be fluorinated on both sides by transferring graphene to a silicon-on-insulator substrate enabling XeF(2) gas to etch the Si underlayer and fluorinate the backside of the graphene film to form perfluorographane (CF) for which calculated the band gap is 3.07 eV. Our results indicate single-side fluorination provides the necessary electronic and optical changes to be practical for graphene device applications.

Medium density polyethylene composites with functionalized carbon nanotubes

A strong interface between the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and polymer matrix is necessary to achieve enhanced mechanical properties of composites. In this work a series of sidewall-functionalized SWNTs have been investigated in order to evaluate the effect of functionalization on SWNT aspect ratio and composite interfacial chemistry and their role on mechanical properties of a medium density polyethylene (MDPE) matrix. Fluorinated nanotubes (F-SWNTs) were used as precursors for subsequent sidewall functionalization with long chain alkyl groups to produce an F-SWNT- C(11)H(23) derivative. The latter was refluorinated to yield a new perfluorinated derivative, F-SWNT- C(11)F(x)H(y). The functionalized SWNTs as well as the pristine SWNTs were integrated into an MDPE matrix at a 1 wt% loading. The nanotubes and composite materials were characterized with FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, NMR, XPS, AFM, SEM, TGA, DSC and tensile tests. When incorporated into polyethylene, the new perfluorinated derivative, F-SWNT- C(11)F(x)H(y), yielded the highest tensile strength value among all nanotube/MDPE composite samples, showing a 52% enhancement in comparison with the neat MDPE. The 1 wt% SWNT/MDPE composite contained nanotubes with a larger aspect ratio but, due to a lack of interfacial chemistry, it resulted in less improvement in mechanical properties compared to the composites made with the fluorinated SWNT derivatives.

Reinforcing polymer composites with epoxide-grafted carbon nanotubes

An in situ functionalization method was used to graft epoxide onto single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and improve the integration of SWNTs into epoxy polymer. The characterization results of Raman, FT-IR and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) validated the successful functionalization with epoxide. These functionalized SWNTs were used to fabricate nanocomposites, resulting in uniform dispersion and strong interfacial bonding. The mechanical test demonstrated that, with only 1 wt% loading of functionalized SWNTs, the tensile strength of nanocomposites was improved by 40%, and Young's modulus by 60%.These results suggested that efficient load transfer has been achieved through epoxide-grafting. This investigation provided an efficient way to improve the interfacial bonding of multifunctional high-performance nanocomposites for lightweight structure material applications.

Nanoscale fracture mechanics

Theoretical calculations on undefected nanoscale materials predict impressive mechanical properties. In this review we summarize the status of experimental efforts to directly measure the fracture strengths of inorganic and carbon nanotubes and discuss possible explanations for the deviations between the predicted and observed values. We also summarize the role of theory in understanding the molecular-level origin of these deviations. In particular, we consider the role of defects such as vacancies, Stone-Wales defects, adatoms and ad-dimers, chemical functionalization, and oxidative pitting.

How good is fluorine as a hydrogen-bond acceptor in fluorinated single-walled carbon nanotubes?

Ab initio (RI-MP2/TZVPP) computations were employed to investigate the interaction between hydrogen-bond donors H2O and CH3OH and covalently bound fluorine in organofluorine compounds. While the CFHO interaction energy is around 3 kcal mol(-1) for unstrained systems, the linear correlation between pyramidalization angle at the carbon atom and the interaction energy suggests that increased binding can be obtained in strained systems. This is confirmed for the dihydrodifluoropyrene-methanol pair, but a large portion of the binding energy is due to the interaction of the pi system with the oxygen atom. Density functional periodic boundary condition computations (PBC-PBE/6-31G*) of the structures of (5,5) and (10,10) armchair (C2F)n fluorinated SWNTs (F-SWNTs) indicate that the pyramidalization at the fluorine-binding carbon atoms are too similar to that of CH3F to enhance the hydrogen-bond acceptor properties of fluorine significantly. The solubility of F-SWNTs in alcohols therefore could be due to a combination of hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions with the pi systems.

Microscopic and spectroscopic characterization of paintbrush-like single-walled carbon nanotubes

Understanding and controlling the chemical reactivity of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is a fundamental requisite to prepare novel nanoscopic structures with practical uses in materials applications. Here, we present a comprehensive microscopic and spectroscopic characterization of carbon nanotubes which have been chemically modified. Specifically, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) investigations of short-oxidized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) functionalized with aliphatic chains via amide reaction reveal the presence of bright lumps both on the sidewalls and at the tips. The functionalization pattern is consistent with the oxidation reaction which mainly occurs at the nanotube tips. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), steady-state electronic absorption (UV-vis-NIR), and Raman spectroscopic studies confirm the STM observations.

Pattern formation on carbon nanotube surfaces

Calculations of fluorine binding and migration on carbon nanotube surfaces show that fluorine forms varying surface superlattices at increasing temperatures. The ordering transition is controlled by the surface migration barrier for fluorine atoms to pass through next neighbor sites on the nanotube, explaining the transition from semi-ionic low coverage to covalent high coverage fluorination observed experimentally for gas phase fluorination between 200 and 250 degrees C. The effect of solvents on fluorine binding and surface diffusion is explored.

Structure analyses of dodecylated single-walled carbon nanotubes

Alkylation of nanotube salts prepared using either lithium, sodium, or potassium in liquid ammonia yields sidewall-functionalized nanotubes that are soluble in organic solvents. Atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy studies of dodecylated SWNTs prepared from HiPco nanotubes and 1-iodododecane show that extensive debundling results from intercalation of the alkali metal into the SWNT ropes. TGA-FTIR analyses of samples prepared from the different metals revealed radically different thermal behavior during detachment of the dodecyl groups. The SWNTs prepared using lithium can be converted into the pristine SWNTs at 180-330 degrees C, whereas the dodecylated SWNTs prepared using sodium require a much higher temperature (380-530 degrees C) for dealkylation. SWNTs prepared using potassium behave differently, leading to detachment of the alkyl groups over the temperature range 180-500 degrees C. These differences can be observed by analysis of the solid-state 13C NMR spectra of the dodecylated SWNTs that have been prepared using the different alkali metals and may indicate differences in the relative amounts of 1,2- and 1,4-addition of the alkyl groups.

Thermolysis of Fluorinated Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: Identification of Gaseous Decomposition Products by Matrix Isolation Infrared Spectroscopy

The thermal decomposition of fluorinated single-walled carbon nanotubes (F-SWNTs), known to result in pristine SWNTs, has been investigated by freezing the gaseous products formed at temperatures between 50 and 500 degrees C under high vacuum in an argon matrix at 10-20 K and analyzing the trapped species by IR spectroscopy. The major products of F-SWNT decomposition are carbonyl fluoride (COF2) below 300 degrees C and CF4 above 300 degrees C. For comparison, graphite fluoride is stable thermally up to 300 degrees C under these conditions, and the major gas-phase species at temperatures below 500 degrees C are CF4 and the CF3 radical. F-SWNTs are thermally less stable than graphite fluoride, and etching of the nanotubes is observed at lower thermolysis temperatures.

Carbon Nanotube Salts. Arylation of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

[reaction: see text] Carbon nanotube salts prepared by treating single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with lithium in liquid ammonia react readily with aryl iodides to give SWNTs functionalized by aryl groups.

Band structure and quantum conductance of nanostructures from maximally localized Wannier functions: the case of functionalized carbon nanotubes

We have combined large-scale, tau-point electronic-structure calculations with the maximally localized Wannier functions approach to calculate efficiently the band structure and the quantum conductance of complex systems containing thousands of atoms while maintaining full first-principles accuracy. We have applied this approach to study covalent functionalizations in metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes. We find that the band structure around the Fermi energy is much less dependent on the chemical nature of the ligands than on the sp(3) functionalization pattern disrupting the conjugation network. Common aryl functionalizations are more stable when paired with saturating hydrogens; even when paired, they still act as strong scattering centers that degrade the ballistic conductance of the nanotubes already at low degrees of coverage.

Cutting single-walled carbon nanotubes

A two-step process is utilized for cutting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The first step requires the breakage of carbon-carbon bonds in the lattice while the second step is aimed at etching at these damage sites to create short, cut nanotubes. To achieve monodisperse lengths from any cutting strategy requires control of both steps. Room-temperature piranha and ammonium persulfate solutions have shown the ability to exploit the damage sites and etch SWNTs in a controlled manner. Despite the aggressive nature of these oxidizing solutions, the etch rate for SWNTs is relatively slow and almost no new sidewall damage is introduced. Carbon-carbon bond breakage can be introduced through fluorination to ∼C(2)F, and subsequent etching using piranha solutions has been shown to be very effective in cutting nanotubes. The final average length of the nanotubes is approximately 100 nm with carbon yields as high as 70-80%.