Preparation and Characterization of Diiodocarbene Functionalized Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes

The addition of diiodocarbene to Multi-walled carbon nanotubes was investigated. Using iodoform as precursor and benzyltriethylammonium chloride (BZTMAC) as the phase transfer catalyst, the degree of diiodocarbene functionalization was around 29.4 wt%. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) images showed that the morphology of the nanotubes was found to be largely intact after functionalization. The functionalized carbon nanotubes were fully characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The band gap energy values for pristine multiwalled carbon nanotubes and the functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes were measured and calculated.