Carbon Nanotubes Covalently Attached to Functionalized Surfaces Directly through the Carbon Cage

The covalent attachment of nonfunctionalized and carboxylic acid-functionalized carbon nanotubes to amine-terminated organic monolayers on gold and silicon surfaces is investigated. It is well established that the condensation reaction between a carboxylic acid and an amine is a viable method to anchor carbon nanotubes to solid substrates. The work presented here shows that the presence of the carboxylic group on the nanotube is not required for attachment to occur, as direct attachment via the substrate amine and the nanotube cage can take place. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy confirm the presence of carbon nanotubes in intimate contact with the surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is utilized to compare the surface chemistry of the functionalized and nonfunctionalized carbon nanotubes and is supported by a computational investigation. Ion fragments attributed to the direct attachment between the surface and carbon nanotube cage are detected by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The overall attachment scheme is evaluated and can be further used on multiple carbonaceous materials attached to solid substrates.