Decoration of carbon nanotubes with chitosan Original Research Article

In this letter, a non-destroyable surface decoration of carbon nanotubes with biopolymer chitsoan via a controlled surface-deposition and crosslinking process is described. The method utilizes the emulsifying capacity of chitosan, the completely different water-solubility of chitosan in acidic and basic solutions, and the crosslinking reaction among chitosan polymers. As the pristine structures of the carbon nanotubes are not recomposed under those treatments, the unique properties of the pristine carbon nanotubes have not been compromised. Combining the properties of carbon nanotubes and the versatility and biocompatibility of chitosan, these chitosan surface-decorated carbon nanotubes could find potential applications in biosensing, gene and drug delivering as well as other chemical and biological applications.