Projekt

Chemical functionalization of carbon nanotubes, which is the subject of this project, will lead to a most important stimulus in the field of nanosciences. Former nanotube technology, dealing with insoluble and solid carbon material, was a domain of physicists only. Chemical functionalization, however, introduces solubility to the "as prepared" insoluble nanotubes and transforms them into powerful processable materials revealing new characteristics. As a consequence, nanotubes can chemically be transformed and their unique electronic and mechanical properties systematically varied. Attractive synthesis goals are, e.g. donor-acceptor functionalized tubes for photoconductivity devices and protein linked nanotubes for biological applications. Chiral nanotubes might become important as selective catalysts. This will have major impacts on science and technology, since exciting possibilities arise for the use of chemically derivatized nanotubes in electric nanodevices, as superconductors, for optoelectrical applications and as components of nanomachines. Filled nanotubes may be valuable catalysts, and can represent templates for nanowires or can be used for biosensors. The research objectives are the synthesis and purification of carbon nanotubes, their functionalization and solubilization, their characterization and investigation of chemical, electronic, magnetic and optical properties, and the search for technical future applications. A final objective is the organization of tubes and the study of the theory of nanotubes. This requires a broad multidisciplinarity, since it covers all the different aspects of experimental chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, spectroscopy, microscopy, surface and solid matter research, material sciences, computation science, experimental and theoretical physics. All the different and interdisciplinary techniques and research methods required for the project will be supplied for training-through-research from nine different specialists laboratories in five European countries.