Decatungstate-Photocatalyzed Acylation of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Although the functionalization and modification of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) has been advanced for two decades, their chemical transformation via catalytic processes has yet to be explored and further facilitate their industrial utility. Here, the decatungstate-photocatalyzed acylation is described of semiconducting (7,6)SWCNTs and the scope of the reaction is investigated by employing alkyl, aromatic, and organometallic aldehydes. The success of the methodology is confirmed by diverse spectroscopic, thermal, microscopy imaging, and redox techniques. The developed catalytic process for the functionalization of SWCNTs is environmetal friendly, since the catalyst and unreacted aldehydes can be recovered and reused, while the modified SWCNTs can be easily isolated and purified by membrane filtration. It is believed that the current findings will open new avenues for the catalytic functionalization of SWCNTs and the approach is intended to extend for modifying 2D nanomaterials.

Automated summary

This paper presents a new method for the functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes through a photocatalytic acylation process. The method is environmentally friendly and has great potential for various applications. It is also expected to be extended to other nanomaterials.