Covalent sidewall functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes: a photoreduction approach.

Covalent sidewall functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) via photoreduction of aromatic ketones by alcohols is reported for the first time. Irradiation of benzophenone, benzhydrol and SWNTs in benzene resulted in covalent attachment of benzhydrol to the sidewalls of the SWNTs. A variety of tools were used to characterize the functionalized SWNTs. Raman scattering, UV-visible and near-IR spectroscopy confirm the covalent nature of the sidewall functionalization. Attenuated total reflection (ATR) FTIR and NMR provided evidence for attachment of benzhydrol onto the sidewalls of nanotubes. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the degree of functionalization was about one benzhydrol in 52 sidewall carbons. A long-chain hydrocarbon marker (n-C(18)H(35)) was also grafted onto the functional groups by esterification reaction for high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) visualization.