Manipulating single-wall carbon nanotubes by chemical doping and charge transfer with perylene dyes

Abstract

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are emerging as materials with much potential in several disciplines, in particular in electronics and photovoltaics. The combination of SWNTs with electron donors or acceptors generates active materials, which can produce electrical energy when irradiated. However, SWNTs are very elusive species when characterization of their metastable states is required. This problem mainly arises because of the polydispersive nature of SWNT samples and the inevitable presence of SWNTs in bundles of different sizes. Here, we report the complete and thorough characterization of an SWNT radical ion-pair state induced by complexation with a perylene dye, which combines excellent electron-accepting and -conducting features with a five-fused ring π-system. At the same time, the perylene dye enables the dispersion of SWNTs by means of π–π interactions, which gives individual SWNTs in solution. This work clears a path towards electronic and optoelectronic devices in which regulated electrical transport properties are important. Using carbon nanotubes in electronic or photovoltaic devices generates active metastable states. These elusive species are hard to characterize because of the polydisperse and aggregate nature of nanotube bundles. A complete characterization of the radical–ion pair state has now been achieved using a range of techniques.

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Ehli, C., Oelsner, C., Guldi, D. et al. Manipulating single-wall carbon nanotubes by chemical doping and charge transfer with perylene dyes. Nature Chem 1, 243–249 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.214

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