Interactions of lanthanide complexes with oxidized single-walled carbon nanotubes

Oxidized, cut single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been reacted with lanthanide salts containing Eu, La, and Tb. These studies are aimed at developing a fundamental understanding of the coordination chemistry of metal ions and of metal ion complexes onto the surfaces of nanotubes. It has been found that the lanthanide ions likely coordinate to these nanotubes through the increased number of oxygen atoms, forming predominantly ionic bonding arrangements. Metal coordination occurs through disruption of hydrogen bonding in bundles of oxidized SWNTs. The adducts were analyzed using FTIR, Raman, and photoluminescence spectroscopies and were structurally characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), along with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS).