Carbon nanotube surface attenuated infrared absorption

The carbon nanotube (CNT) surface quality plays a critical role in defining the molecule-nanotube, macromolecule-nanotube, metal/semiconductor-nanotube, and nanotube-nanotube interfaces, which are at the heart of numerous potential CNT-based applications in electronics, sensors, nanocomposites, thermal management, actuators, energy storage and conversion, and drug delivery. We report that the infrared vibrations of adsorbed molecules/macromolecules that give rise to dipole changes parallel to the highly polarizable CNT surface are diminished significantly in intensity. The CNT surface attenuated infrared absorption provides a mechanism to probe and compare the overall surface qualities of various bulk CNT materials. © 2008 American Institute of Physics