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Updated: Jun 13, 2026
Functionalization of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes with Thermo-reversible Block Copolymers and Characterization by Small-angle Neutron Scattering
Published on: June 1, 2016
Unzipping of functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes induced by STM
M Conceição Paiva1, Wei Xu, M Fernanda Proença
1Institute for Polymers and Composites/I3N, Department of Polymer Engineering, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal. mcpaiva@dep.uminho.pt
Abstract:
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), functionalized by a cycloaddition reaction, were studied by ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The STM images provided evidence for partial or total unzipping of the outer CNT layer. The formation of graphene ribbons was triggered by the STM tip, under specific operating conditions. A model for the unzipping is proposed, based on the perturbation of the pi-conjugation along the CNT surface induced by the cycloaddition reaction.
