CO_2-Responsive 'Smart' Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

摘要

Since their inception in the early 1990s, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have gained continuous interest owing to their unique mechanical, thermal, and electronic properties,'3' which render them attractive in versatile prospective applica-tions.Despite their immense potential, it is well known that SWNTs readily aggregate into bundles or ropes due to their strong intertubular van der Waals interactions and high aspect ratios, thus severely impeding their integration into functional materials and practical use, where dispersed individual tubes are normally needed.When used as sensors in biological or medical chemistry, SWNTs need to be dispersed in liquid suspension and further modified with "smart" surfaces to satisfy the response to the environment.