Functionalization of Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Through chemical functionalization of single‐walled carbon nanotubes, the prerequisites for possible applications of such nanostructures are established. The derivatized tubes differ from the crude materials in their good solubility, which enables both a more extensive characterization and subsequent chemical reactivity. Current derivatization methods include defect and covalent sidewall functionalization, as well as noncovalent exo‐ and endohedral functionalization. In this way, for example, a range of nanotubes can be prepared: with sidewall substituents, wrapped with polymers, or with guest molecules included. The current state of the literature is presented in this Minireview.     

共振增强拉曼光谱技术在单壁碳纳米管表征中的应用

共振增强拉曼光谱技术是表征和研究单壁碳纳米管(SWNTs)的有力工具, 它既能用于SWNTs的几何结构表征, 又能反映SWNTs的电子态密度信息. 特别指出的是, 由于共振拉曼效应, 它能够灵敏地检测单根SWNT的局域信息. 本文首先概述了SWNTs拉曼光谱的RBM峰、G峰、D峰和G'峰的特征和应用, 然后综述了共振增强拉曼光谱在SWNTs的结构表征、形变测量、缺陷测量和温度测量中的应用和进展, 最后讨论了共振拉曼光谱在SWNTs表征方面所面临的机会和挑战.     

Spectroscopic Characteristics of Differently Produced Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) synthesized with different methods are investigated by using multiple characterization techniques, including Raman scattering, optical absorption, and X‐ray absorption near edge structure, along with X‐ray photoemission by following the total valence bands and C 1s core‐level spectra. Four different SWNT materials (produced by arc discharge, HiPco, laser ablation, and CoMoCat methods) contain nanotubes with diameters ranging from 0.7 to 2.8 nm. The diameter distribution and the composition of metallic and semiconducting tubes of the SWNT materials are strongly affected by the synthesis method. Similar sp² hybridization of carbon in the oxygenated SWNT structure can be found, but different surface functionalities are introduced while the tubes are processed. All the SWNTs demonstrate stronger plasmon resonance excitations and lower electron binding energy than graphite and multiwalled carbon nanotubes. These SWNT materials also exhibit different valence‐band X‐ray photoemission features, which are considerably affected by the nanotube diameter distribution and metallic/semiconducting composition.     

Phosphine‐Catalyzed [3+2] Cycloaddition Reactions of Azomethine Imines with Electron‐Deficient Alkenes: A Facile Access to Dinitrogen‐Fused Heterocycles

An efficient method for the phosphine‐catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of azomethine imines with diphenylsulfonyl alkenes to give dinitrogen‐fused bi‐ or tricyclic heterocyclic compounds in high yields has been described. Moreover, two phenylsulfonyl groups installed on the heterocyclic products could be conveniently removed or transformed to other functional groups, making the reaction more useful.     

微波辅助有机过氧化物功能化修饰单壁碳纳米管

本文报道了微波辅助下,利用过氧化月桂酰分解得到的十一烷基,化学功能化修饰单壁碳纳米管。这种快速、高效的方法将反应时间缩短至10分钟,并得到了比传统回流方法具有更高接枝率的产物。利用傅立叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR),热失重分析(TGA),拉曼光谱,探究了不同的反应时间和微波功率对单壁碳纳米管的接枝率的影响。结果表明：过长的反应时间会导致部分的去功能化的发生,而过高的微波功率(大于900瓦),则会将单壁碳纳米管上起初键连上的十一烷基剥落下来。分散性照片和高分辨率透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)照片显示出,功能化后的单壁碳纳米管与原始的碳管相比,在有机溶剂中的分散性有了明显的提高。     

Probing the Chemical Functionalization of Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Multiple Carbon Ad‐Dimer Defects

Drying‐tube‐shaped single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with multiple carbon ad‐dimer (CD) defects are obtained from armchair (n,n,m) SWCNTs (n=4, 5, 6, 7, 8; m=7, 13). According to the isolated‐pentagon rule (IPR) the drying‐tube‐shaped SWCNTs are unstable non‐IPR species, and their hydrogenated, fluorinated, and chlorinated derivatives are investigated. Interestingly, chemisorptions of hydrogen, fluorine, and chlorine atoms on the drying tube‐shaped SWCNTs are exothermic processes. Compared to the reaction energies for binding of H, F, and Cl atoms to perfect and Stone–Wales‐defective armchair (5,5) nanotubes, binding of F with the multiply CD defective SWCNTs is stronger than with perfect and Stone–Wales‐defective nanotubes. The reaction energy for per F₂ addition is between 85 and 88 kcal mol^?1 more negative than that per H₂ addition. Electronic structure analysis of their energy gaps shows that the CD defects have a tendency to decrease the energy gap from 1.98–2.52 to 0.80–1.17 eV. After hydrogenation, fluorination, and chlorination, the energy gaps of the drying‐tube‐shaped SWCNTs with multiple CD defects are substantially increased to 1.65–3.85 eV. Furthermore, analyses of thermodynamic stability and nucleus‐independent chemical shifts (NICS) are performed to analyze the stability of these molecules.     

Photochemical Behavior of Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes in the Presence of Propylamine

This report describes the photochemical behavior of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in the presence of propylamine. The SWNTs are characterized by absorption and Raman spectroscopy. The spectral changes due to photoirradiation indicate that reactions occur predominantly with the metallic SWNTs and small‐diameter SWNTs. The detection of amine radicalcation species by ESR spectroscopy reveals photoinduced electron transfer from the amine to the excited SWNTs. After exposure of the photoirradiated SWNTs to air, the characteristic spectra were recovered, except for that of the small‐diameter SWNTs. The results suggest that, after photoreduction of the SWNTs, subsequent selective sidewall functionalization of the small‐diameter SWNTs occurs.     

Supramolecular Surface Modification and Solubilization of Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Cyclodextrin Complexation

A novel approach to solubilize single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in the aqueous phase is described by employing supramolecular surface modification. We use cyclodextrin complexes of synthetic molecules that contain a planar pyrene moiety or a bent, shape‐fitted triptycene moiety as a binding group connected through a spacer to an adamantane moiety that is accommodated in the cyclodextrin cavity. The binding groups attach to the sidewalls of SWCNTs through a π–π stacking interaction to yield a supramolecular system that allows the SWCNTs to dissolve in the aqueous phase through the formed hydrophilic cyclodextrin shell. The black aqueous SWCNT solutions obtained are stable over a period of months. They are characterized through absorbance, static, and time‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopy as well as Raman spectroscopy, TEM, and fluorescence‐decay measurements. Furthermore, the shape‐fitted triptycene‐based system shows a pronounced selectivity for SWCNTs with a diameter of 1.0 nm.     

A Supramolecular Approach for the Facile Solubilization and Separation of Covalently Functionalized Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Through a combination of an electronic‐type selective diazonium‐based attachment of a Hamilton receptor unit onto the carbon nanotube framework and a supramolecular recognition approach of a cyanuric acid derivative, we herein introduce a highly promising strategy for the tuning of carbon nanotube solubility and, directly related to that, a solution‐based easy and straightforward separation of covalently functionalized carbon nanotube derivatives with respect to their unfunctionalized counterparts. The supramolecular complexation of the cyanuric acid derivative provides the driving force for the dramatically increased dispersibility and for the long‐time stability of the individualized single‐walled carbon nanotube derivatives in chloroform. The selective covalent functionalization of metallic carbon nanotubes can easily be analyzed with the aid of scanning Raman microscopy techniques. The functional derivatives have furthermore been characterized by UV/Vis‐NIR and fluorescence spectroscopy as well as by mass spectrometric coupled thermogravimetric analysis. The investigation of the supramolecular complexation is based on an in‐depth UV/Vis‐NIR analysis and atomic force microscopy investigations.     

Direct DNA Hybridization on the Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes Modified Sensors Detected by Voltammetry and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy

Carboxylic acid functionalized single‐walled carbon nanotubes modified graphite sensors (SWCNT‐PGEs) were developed for electrochemical monitoring of direct DNA hybridization related to specific sequence of Hepatitis B virus, which substantially enhance the electrochemical transduction resulting from guanine oxidation signal comparison to bare PGEs. The performance characteristics of DNA hybridization on disposable CNT‐PGE were explored measuring the guanine signal in terms of optimum analytical conditions; probe and target concentration, hybridization time, and selectivity. The voltammetric results were also complemented with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), that was used to characterize the successful construction of carbon nanotubes modification onto the surface of PGEs.     

Desymmetrization of 1,4‐Pentadien‐3‐ol by the Asymmetric 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition of Azomethine Imines

Desymmetrization of the divinyl carbinol 1,4‐pentadien‐3‐ol was accomplished by the asymmetric 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine imines based on a magnesium‐mediated, multinucleating chiral reaction system utilizing diisopropyl (R,R)‐tartrate as the chiral auxiliary. The corresponding optically active trans‐pyrazolidines, each with three contiguous stereogenic centers, were obtained with excellent regio‐, diastereo‐, and enantioselectivity, with results as high as 99 % ee. This reaction was shown to be applicable to both aryl‐ and alkyl‐substituted azomethine imines. The use of a catalytic amount of diisopropyl (R,R)‐tartrate was also effective when accompanied by the addition of MgBr₂.     

Reactivity of Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes in the Diels–Alder Cycloaddition Reaction: Distortion–Interaction Analysis along the Reaction Pathway

Diels–Alder cycloaddition is one of the most powerful tools for the functionalization of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Density functional theory at the B3‐LYP level of theory has been used to investigate the reactivity of different‐diameter SWCNTs (4–9,5) in Diels–Alder reactions with 1,3‐butadiene; the reactivity was found to decrease with increasing SWCNT diameter. Distortion/interaction analysis along the whole reaction pathway was found to be a better way to explore the reactivity of this type of reaction. The difference in interaction energy along the reaction pathway is larger than that of the corresponding distortion energy. However, the distortion energy plots for these reactions show the same trend. Therefore, the formation of the transition state can be determined from the interaction energy. A lower interaction energy leads to an earlier transition state, which indicates a lower activation energy. The computational results also indicate that the original distortion of the SWCNTs leads to an increase in the reactivity of the SWCNTs.     

Selective and Scalable Chemical Removal of Thin Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes from their Mixtures with Double‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Double‐walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) are materials in high demand due to their superior properties. However, it is very challenging to prepare DWCNTs samples of high purity. In particular, the removal of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) contaminants is a major problem. Here, a procedure for a selective removal of thin‐diameter SWCNTs from their mixtures with DWCNTs by lithium vapor treatment is investigated. The results are evaluated by Raman spectroscopy and in situ Raman spectroelectrochemistry. It is shown that the amount of SWCNTs was reduced by about 35 % after lithium vapor treatment of the studied SWCNTs–DWCNTs mixture.     

Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes Modified Gold Electrodes as an Impedimetric DNA Sensor

A gold surface modified with a self‐assembled monolayer of 11‐amino‐1‐undecanethiol (AUT) was used for the covalent immobilization of oxidized single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The as‐described SWNTs‐modified substrate was subsequently used to attach single‐stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA) used as a substrate for DNA hybridization. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements were performed to follow the DNA hybridization process by using the redox couple [Fe(CN)₆]^3−/4− as a marker ion. Specifically, changes in charge transfer resistance obtained from the Nyquist plots were used as the sensing parameter of DNA hybridization. The substrate sensitivity towards changes in target DNA concentration, its selectivity toward different DNA sequences and its reusability are successfully demonstrated in this report.     

Green and Highly Efficient Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes by Combination of 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition and Curtius Rearrangement Reactions

A facile and environmentally friendly strategy was developed for covalent modification of the convex surfaces of carbon nanotubes (CNT) through a combination of 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides and Curtius rearrangement of carboxylic acid azides and its application in grafting polyamide 6 onto the surface of CNT was further investigated.     

Micro-Raman and Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy of Carbon Allotropes

Summary: Raman spectroscopic data are obtained on various carbon allotropes like diamond, amorphous carbon, graphite, graphene and single wall carbon nanotubes by micro-Raman spectroscopy, tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy imaging, and the potentials of these techniques for advanced analysis of carbon structures are discussed. Depending on the local organisation of carbon the characteristic Raman bands can be found at different wavenumber positions, and e.g. quality or dimensions of structures of the samples quantitatively can be calculated. In particular tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy allows the investigation of individual single wall carbon nanotubes and graphene sheets and imaging of e.g. local defects with nanometer lateral resolution. Raman spectra of all carbon allotropes are presented and discussed.