Metallic carbon nanotubes are one-dimensional tubular structures made up of hexagonally bonded sp2 carbon atoms. The Therien Lab has shown that by wrapping a metallic nanotube surface with rigid polymers, a semiconductor can be realized. This strategy contrasts with approaches that regulate electronic structural properties of bulk-phase materials which rely on altering the nature of covalent bonding. Reversible non-covalent polymer wrapping of metallic carbon nanotubes interconverts metallic and semiconducting electronic structures. Because the energy separation between carbon nanotube valence and conduction bands depends on the polymer electronic structure, this work provides a unique approach to realize low band gap one-dimensional materials by design. Learn more about the Therien group's recent work in PNAS, available here.
Chemistry
