Functionalization of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Well-Defined Polystyrene by “Click” Coupling

Covalent functionalization of alkyne-decorated SWNTs with well-defined, azide-terminated polystyrene polymers was accomplished by the Cu(I)-catalyzed [3 + 2] Huisgen cycloaddition. This reaction was found to be extremely efficient in producing organosoluble polymer-nanotube conjugates, even at relatively low reaction temperatures (60 degrees C) and short reaction times (24 h). The reaction was found to be most effective when a CuI catalyst was …