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Supramolecular Assemblies of Nucleoside Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes: Synthesis, Film Preparation, and Properties
Author(s) -
Micoli Alessandra,
Turco Antonio,
AraujoPalomo Elsie,
Encinas Armando,
Quintana Mildred,
Prato Maurizio
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201304780
Subject(s) - carbon nanotube , materials science , chemical engineering , thermogravimetric analysis , membrane , polymer , hydrogen bond , supramolecular chemistry , biodegradation , nanocomposite , polymer chemistry , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , composite material , chemistry , molecule , biochemistry , engineering
Abstract Nucleoside‐functionalized multi‐walled carbon nanotubes ( N‐MWCNTs ) were synthesized and characterized. A self‐organization process using hydrogen bonding interactions was then used for the fabrication of self‐assembled N‐MWCNTs films free of stabilizing agents, polymers, or surfactants. Membranes were produced by using a simple water‐dispersion‐based vacuum‐filtration method. Hydrogen‐bond recognition was confirmed by analysis with IR spectroscopy and TEM images. Restoration of the electronic conduction properties in the N‐MWCNTs membranes was performed by removing the organic portion by thermal treatment under an argon atmosphere to give d‐N‐MWCNTs . Electrical conductivity and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements confirmed the efficiency of the annealing process. Finally, oxidative biodegradation of the films N‐MWCNTs and d‐N‐MWCNTs was performed by using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and low concentrations of H 2 O 2 . Our results confirm that functional groups play an important role in the biodegradation of CNT by HRP: N‐MWCNTs films were completely biodegraded, whereas for d‐N‐MWCNTs films no degradation was observed, showing that the pristine CNT undergoes minimal enzyme‐catalyzed oxidation This novel methodology offers a straightforward supramolecular strategy for the construction of conductive and biodegradable carbon nanotube films.