ABSTRACT
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have many desirable bulk properties for potential use in a multitude of applications. However, their surfaces often require modification in order to achieve functionality in some of the applications. An important first step in the adhesion of materials to CNTs is frequently surface oxidation as used in the deposition of high-loading catalytic metal nanoparticles [1, 2]; fabrication of polarizable electrodes for electrical double-layer capacitors [3]; improvement in
dispersibility [3, 4]; fabrication of sensors [5]; attachment of quantum dots, such as CdSe [6, 7] and CdTe [8]; conversion of aniline to azobenzene [9]; modification of adsorption characteristics [10]; control of electronic properties [11-15]; covalent grafting with polymer chains [15-18]; and catalytic oxidation of p-toluidine [19].
