title: Functionalized carbon nanotubes: properties and applications.
abstract: Carbon nanotubes can be functionalized via amidation and esterification of the nanotube-bound carboxylic acids. The solubility of these functionalized carbon nanotubes makes it possible to characterize and study the properties of carbon nanotubes using solution-based techniques. Representative results concerning the solubility, dispersion, defunctionalization, and optical properties of the functionalized carbon nanotubes are presented. Several examples for the use of functionalized carbon nanotubes in the fabrication of polymeric carbon nanocomposites, the probing of nanotube-molecule interactions, and the conjugation with biological species are highlighted and discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Center for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films, Howard L. Hunter Chemistry Laboratory, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634-0973, USA.
authors.forename: Ya-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Kefu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Weijie
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000737:chemistry; D012995:Solubility
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D011506:Proteins; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; D002244:Carbon