Handle-free attachment of small molecules on single-walled carbon nanotubes (opens in new tab)

Few chemical methods controllably generate sp3 defects on single-walled carbon nanotubes, and fewer still create quantum wells that localize excitons and enhance near-infrared emission. Here we describe an aqueous, nanotube-catalysed Fenton reaction that enables the conjugation of an extensive range of small molecules lacking traditional single-walled carbon nanotube conjugation handles, generating quantum well defects with tunable electro-optical properties. We demonstrate the attachment of ...