Sidewall functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes through CF4 plasma treatment and subsequent reaction with aliphatic amines

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with aliphatic amines covalently attached to their side walls have been prepared starting from fluorinated SWNTs (F-SWNTs) obtained by CF4 plasma treatment. TEM images showed the practical use of sidewall fluorination of SWNTs to achieve unroping of them while infrared and thermogravimetric measurements demonstrated the obtained sidewall fluorination of the tubes. Amino-sidewall functionalization of SWNTs have been then obtained at room temperature by fluorine displacement reactions of F-SWNTs with amines. This work demonstrates the practical use of plasma fluorination to achieve functionalization and unroping of SWNTs as well as yields sidewall amino-functionalized nanotube precursors for the preparation of thermosettings-SWNTs polymer materials.