title: Direct Intertube Cross-Linking of Carbon Nanotubes at Room Temperature.
abstract: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have long been regarded as an efficient free radical scavenger because of the large-conjugation system in their electronic structures. Hence, despite abundant reports on CNT reacting with incoming free radical species, current research has not seen CNT itself displaying the chemical reactivity of free radicals. Here we show that reactive free radicals can in fact be generated on carbon nanotubes via reductive defluorination of highly fluorinated single-walled carbon nanotubes (FSWNTs). This finding not only enriches the current understanding of carbon nanotube chemical reactivity but also opens up new opportunities in CNT-based material design. For example, spacer-free direct intertube cross-linking of carbon nanotubes was previously achieved only under extremely high temperature and pressure or electron/ion beam irradiation. With the free radicals on defluorinated FSWNTs, the nanotubes containing multiple radicals on the sidewall can directly cross-link with each other under ambient temperature through intertube radical recombination. It is demonstrated that carbon nanotube fibers reinforced via direct cross-linking displays much improved mechanical properties.
authors.affiliation: i-Lab, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences , Suzhou 215123, China.
authors.forename: Yunxiang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: i-Lab, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences , Suzhou 215123, China.
authors.forename: Hongwei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: i-Lab, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences , Suzhou 215123, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Division of Advanced Materials, SINANO, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Suzhou 215123, China.
authors.forename: Jingna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Division of Advanced Materials, SINANO, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Suzhou 215123, China.
authors.forename: Qingwen
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University , Suzhou 215123, China.
authors.forename: Jianxin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University , Stanford, California 94305, United States.|Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory , Menlo Park, California 94025, United States.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: i-Lab, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Sciences , Suzhou 215123, China.|Vacuum Interconnected Nanotech Workstation, SINANO, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Suzhou 215123, China.
authors.forename: Liwei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
keywords: Carbon nanotubes; intertube cross-linking; mechanical strength; radical chemistry