ABSTRACT
Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are allotropes of carbon that are composed entirely of carbon atoms arranged into a series of condensed benzene rings, known as graphene sheets, "rolled" into a cylindrical structure. CNTs can be classified into two categories according to their structure: single-walled carbon nanotubes, comprising a single cylindrical graphene layer capped at both ends in a hemispherical arrangement of carbon networks, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, consisting of numerous concentric cylinders of graphene sheets. Covalent and non-covalent stabilisation of aqueous suspensions of CNTs has been attempted by several research groups by using chitosan and its derivatives. CNTs are highly versatile because of their physicochemical features. The preparation of stable aqueous suspensions of CNTs by non-covalent hybridisation with chitosan is relatively simple. The complexation of CNTs with chitosan produces composites that the mechanical strength, electrical conductivity and thermal stability of nanotubes, combined with the biocompatibility and pH sensitivity of the polysaccharide.
