Effect of Organic Solvents on Carbon Nanotube Functionalization with Aryl Diazonium Salts
Authors:
- Shu SuzukiSSShu Suzuki
- Tomoto UraTUTomoto Ura
- Kentaro ShirakiKSKentaro Shiraki
- Takehiro K. SatoTSTakehiro K. Sato
- Kenji KogaKKKenji Koga
- Momoyo WadaMWMomoyo Wada
- Takeshi TanakaTTTakeshi Tanaka
- Tomoshi KamedaTKTomoshi Kameda
- Atsushi HiranoAHAtsushi Hirano
Preprint
- 11 March 2026
- preprint
- Published by Elsevier in SSRN Electronic Journal
Abstract
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibit exceptional properties, including high thermal conductivity and flexibility, and biologically transparent near-infrared luminescence. These properties can be further tuned by introducing functional groups onto CNT surfaces. Aryl diazonium salts are widely used for such functionalization because they react under mild conditions, typically in organic solvents. However, the effect of solvent on the efficiency of CNT functionalization remains unclear. This study systematically investigated the effect of organic solvents on the degree of CNT functionalization using 4-carboxybenzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate as the aryl diazonium reagent. The solvents tested were dimethylformamide (DMF), isopropyl alcohol (IPA), tetrahydrofuran (THF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). The degree of functionalization was found to depend on the solvent type, reflecting their combined effects on CNT dispersion and aryl diazonium salt stability. These insights enabled the fabrication of a CNT–protein composite film that exhibited near-infrared emission derived from CNT functional groups under white LED irradiation. The present findings provide general guidelines for CNT surface modification and interface design in CNT-based applications.Keywords
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