Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) have a strong and stable near-infrared (nIR) fluorescence that can be used to selectively detect target analytes, even at the single molecule level, through changes in either their fluorescence intensity or emission peak wavelength. SWNTs have been employed as NIR optical sensors for detecting a variety of analytes. However, high costs, long fabrication times, and poor distributions limit the current methods for immobilizing SWNT sensors on solid substrates. Recently, our group reported a protocol for SWNT immobilization with high fluorescence yield, longevity, fluorescence distribution, and sensor response, unfortunately this process takes 5 days to complete. Herein we report an improved method to immobilize SWNT sensors that only takes 2 days and results in higher fluorescence intensity while maintaining a high level of SWNT distribution. We performed surface morphology and chemical composition tests on the original and new synthesis methods and compared the sensor response rates. The development of this new method of attaching SWNT sensors to a platform allows for creation of a sensing system in just 2 days without sacrificing the advantageous characteristics of the original, 5-day platforms.

Carbonaceous materials are considered as potential adsorbents for organic dyes due to their unique structures which provide high aspect ratios, hydrophobic property, large efficient surface area, and easy surface modification. In this work, graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) were prepared by atomic hydrogen-induced treatment of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNTs), which inspire the idea of cutting and unzipping the SWCNTs carpets with the modified in molecules prevent because of the unfolding of the side-walls. The unfolded spaces and uniform vertical arrangement not only enhance the active surface area, but also promote the electrostatic and π–π interactions between dyes and GNRs. The improved adsorption capacity of GNRs beyond original SWCNTs can be determined by the adsorption kinetics and isotherm, which are evaluated through adsorption batch experiments of the typical cationic methylene blue (MB) and anionic orange II (OII) dye, respectively. It is shown that the adsorption kinetics follow a pseudo second-order model while the adsorption isotherm could be determined by Langmuir model. The results reveal that the maximum adsorption capacities of GNRs for MB and OII are 280 and 265 mg/g, respectively. The GNRs present the highly efficient, cost effective, and environmental friendly properties for the commercial applications of wastewater treatment.

Single C-vacancy and pyridine-like N3 defect are usually formed on the single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) and they have unique properties for potential applications. In this paper, we use density functional theory to investigate the discrepancies of such two structures from the geometric and electronic aspects. Our results indicate that the existed single vacancy in the SWCNT can lead to somewhat electron localization because of the lone pair electrons; while the N3 embedded SWCNT ( N3-SWCNT) has stronger chemical reactivity and electron localization than the single vacancy SWCNT (SV-SWCNT) due to the great charge transfer between N3 group and C atom on the tube sidewall. Through the investigation of Ag-doping on the above two nano-structures, we found that the single Ag atom is much more stably adsorbed on the N3- SWCNT sidewall compared with SV-SWCNT, forming higher binding energy and higher electron transfer. Our calculation would shed light on the physicochemical property of SWCNT-based material and thus extend their potential applications in many fields.

The thermoelectric Seebeck and Peltier effects of a single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) quantum dot nanodevice are investigated, taking into consideration a certain value of applied tensile strain and induced ac-field with frequency in the terahertz (THz) range. This device is modeled as a SWCNT quantum dot connected to metallic leads. These two metallic leads operate as a source and a drain. In this three-terminal device, the conducting substance is the gate electrode. Another metallic gate is used to govern the electrostatics and the switching of the carbon nanotube channel. The substances at the carbon nanotube quantum dot/ metal contact are controlled by the back gate. Results show that both the Seebeck and Peltier coefficients have random oscillation as a function of gate voltage in the Coulomb blockade regime for all types of SWCNT quantum dots. Also, the values of both the Seebeck and Peltier coefficients are enhanced, mainly due to the induced tensile strain. Results show that the three types of SWCNT quantum dot are good thermoelectric nanodevices for energy harvesting (Seebeck effect) and good coolers for nanoelectronic devices (Peltier effect).

In this study, we report a general method for preparation of a one-dimensional (1D) arrangement of Au nanoparticles on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) using biologically programmed peptides as structure-guiding 1D templates. The peptides were designed by the combination of glutamic acid (E), glycine (G), and phenylalanine (F) amino acids; peptides efficiently debundled and exfoliated the SWNTs for stability of the dispersion and guided the growth of the array of Au nanoparticles in a controllable manner. Moreover, we demonstrated the superior ability of 1D nanohybrids as flexible, transparent, and conducting materials. The highly stable dispersion of 1D nanohybrids in aqueous solution enabled the fabrication of flexible, transparent, and conductive nanohybrid films using vacuum filtration, resulting in good optical and electrical properties.

This paper addresses the effect of dopants on the electronic properties of zigzag (8, 0) semiconducting single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), using extended Hückel theory combined with nonequilibrium Green’s function formalism. Through appropriate dopant concentrations, the electronic properties of SWCNTs can be modified. Within this context, we present our ongoing investigation on (8, 0) SWCNTs doped with nitrogen. Quantum confinement effects on the electronic properties of the SWCNTs have also been investigated. The obtained results reveal that the electronic properties of SWCNTs are strongly dependent on the dopant concentration and modification of electronic structures by hydrogen confinement.

We demonstrated size control of Au nanoparticles by heat treatment and their use as a catalyst for single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNTs) growth with narrow size distribution. We used uniformly sized Au nanoparticles from commercial Au colloid, and intentionally decreased their size through heat treatment at 800 oC under atmospheric Ar ambient. ST-cut quartz wafers were used as growth substrates to achieve parallel alignment of the SWNTs and to investigate the size relationship between Au nanoparticles and SWNTs. After the SWNTs were grown via chemical vapor deposition using methane gas, it was found that a high degree of horizontal alignment can be obtained when the particle density is low enough to produce individual SWNTs. The diameter of the Au nanoparticles gradually decreased from 3.8 to 2.9 nm, and the mean diameter of the SWNTs also changed from 1.6 to 1.2 nm for without and 60 min heat treatment, respectively. Raman results reconfirmed that the prolonged heat treatment of nanoparticles yields thinner tubes with narrower size distribution. This work demonstrated that heat treatment can be a straightforward and reliable method to control the size of catalytic nanoparticles and SWNT diameter.