Ab Initio Study of Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes

K. Milowska, M. Birowska and J.A. Majewski Institute of Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Hoża 69, 00-681 Warszawa, Poland

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In the present paper, we study the stability of (9,0), (10,0), (11,0) carbon nanotubes functionalized with simple organic molecules -CHn (for n = 2,3,4). Our studies are based on ab initio calculations within the framework of the density functional theory. We determine binding energies of the functionalized carbon nanotubes and the changes in the geometry and electronic structure caused by the functionalization. We observe the characteristic effects such as rehybridization of the bonds induced by fragments attached to carbon nanotubes and pentagon/heptagon (5/7) defects in -CH2 functionalized carbon nanotubes. We study also dependence of the binding energies of the functionalized carbon nanotubes on the density of the adsorbed molecules and diameter of the single wall carbon nanotubes. Our calculations reveal that the -CH2 fragments exhibit the strongest cohesion and we determine the critical density of the -CH2 fragments which could be adsorbed.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.116.841 PACS numbers: 31.15.ae, 31.15.E-, 61.46.Fg, 61.48.De, 73.22.-f, 81.07.De