Effect of ozone oxidation on single-walled carbon nanotubes

Exposing single-walled carbon nanotubes to room-temperature UV-generated ozone leads to an irreversible increase in their electrical resistance. We demonstrate that the increased resistance is due to ozone oxidation on the sidewalls of the nanotubes rather than at the end caps. Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies show an increase in the defect density due to the oxidation of the nanotubes. Using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, we show that these defects represent the removal of pi-conjugated electron states near the Fermi level, leading to the observed increase in electrical resistance. Oxidation of carbon nanotubes is an important first step in many chemical functionalization processes. Because the oxidation rate can be controlled with short exposures, UV-generated ozone offers the potential for use as a low-thermal-budget processing tool.