Surface Modified Carbon Nanotubes: An Introduction

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have drawn great consideration for their numerous promising applications due to their unique electronic, mechanical, structural, and adsorptive properties. However, the preparation of effective dispersions of CNTs severely holds back the utilization, extension, and application of CNTs. To conquer these limitations and expand the scope of their application, proper surface modification of CNTs has fascinated great consideration over the past few decades and discovered a variety of unique hybrid materials with desired applications. The tunable surface chemistry of CNTs leads to loads of advanced developments, which enhances dispersibility and improves their selectivity, sorption, performance, and great surface-to-volume ratios. This book chapter focuses on surface modification of CNTs via chemical functionalization and further modifications according to modifiers covering organic (polymers, small organic molecules, oxygen functional groups, protein, DNA, etc.), inorganic (metal oxide and metal nanoparticles), and inorganic-organic hybrids. In addition, different decisive concerns that require concerted in-depth investigations are summarized with significant attention to the characterization of CNTs dispersions and surface modifications. This work also tried to assist readers in perceiving the defects in the functionalization of CNTs, which they might want to address.