A Convenient Route to Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes 

 -  Nano Letters, 4(7), p.1257-1260, 2004 .
<br/><br/> Reductive alkylation of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs)using lithium and alkyl halides in liquid ammonia yields sidewall functionalized nanotubes that are soluble in common organic solvents. Atomic force microscopy (AFM)and high-resolution tunneling electron microscopy (HRTEM)of dodecylated SWNTs prepared from raw HiPco nanotubes show that extensive debundling has occurred. GC-MS analysis of the byproduct hydrocarbons demonstrates that alkyl radicals are intermediates in the alkylation step.