Carbon-inorganic hybrid materials:: The carbon-nanotube/TiO2 interface

A nondestructive, simple process for the synthesis of CNT-TiO2 and various other hybrid materials, using benzyl alcohol as surfactant (see figure), is described. pi-pi interactions enable the use of pristine CNTs without the need of covalent functionalization. Furthermore, benzyl alcohol acts as a growth inhibitor to produce very small and uniform rutile nanocrystals without too great a reduction of the anatase to rutile transformation.