Interaction Between Carbonaceous Structure and Functionalized Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

The properties of functionalized single-walled carbon nanotube (f-SWCNT) supernatant samples obtained through steps of acid oxidation-centrifugation-decantation were characterized by spectroscopic tools. Fourier transform IR spectroscopy provided evidence for the chemical and structural variations generated on the f-SWCNTs within each supernatant sample. The results from UV-visible near-IR spectroscopy revealed that the density difference of the carbonaceous impurity with functional groups on the f-SWCNTs contributed to the attenuation of electrical conductivity. In the Raman results, the shift of frequency in the radial breathing mode (RBM) was associated with an increase in diameter of the f-SWCNTs and a decrease in RBM intensity was attributed to the depletion of valence band electrons. The redshift of the tangential mode indicates the reduction in the bandgaps of the f-SWCNTs by the decrease in carbonaceous impurity. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3355946] All rights reserved.