Asymmetric end-functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Asymmetric end-functionalization of carbon nanotubes was achieved by sequentially floating a substrate-free aligned carbon nanotube film on two different photoreactive solutions with only one side of the nanotube film being contacted with the photoreactive solution and exposed to UV light each time. The resultant nanotubes with different chemical reagents attached onto their opposite tube-ends should be very useful for site-selective self-assembling of carbon nanotubes into many novel functional structures for various potential applications.