Surface Chemical Functionalization of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes with mutated Bacteriorhodopsin
The excellent conductivity, the electromechanical behaviour, the tensile strength, the high surface area and the room temperature sensitivity make Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) interesting active building blocks to integrate in Scanning Probe Microscopy tips, field effect transistors, impedance and surface plasmon sensors and in transparent conductive electrodes [1]. The technological feasibility of SWNTs can be further extended conveying novel functionalities to such nano-objects by doping procedures. The last comprise covalent and not covalent modification of the nanotube walls with (bio) molecules which can improve sensitivity and selectivity for specific molecules or endow the nanoobjects of novel functionalities (ie light harvesting capability, luminescence, magnetism,(semi) conductivity and photo-or electro-catalytic activity)[1]. In particular, the non covalent approaches aim to functionalize the …