Layer-by-Layer Assembly of Clay-Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Superstructures

Much of the research effort concerning layered materials is directed toward their use as building blocks for the development of hybrid nanostructures with well-defined dimensions and behavior. Here, we report the fabrication through layer-by-layer deposition and intercalation chemistry of a new type of clay-based hybrid film, where functionalized carbon nanotubes are sandwiched between nanometer-sized smectite clay platelets. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were covalently functionalized in a single step with phenol groups, via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, to allow for stable dispersion in polar solvents. For the production of hybrid thin films, a bottom-up approach combining self-assembly with Langmuir-Schaefer deposition was applied. Smectite clay nanoplatelets act as a structure-directing interface and reaction media for grafting functionalized carbon nanotubes in a bidimensional array, allowing for a controllable layer-by-layer growth at a nanoscale. Hybrid clay/SWCNT multilayer films deposited on various substrates were characterized by X-ray reflectivity, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, as well as atomic force microscopy.