Functionalizing carbon nanotubes: An indispensible step towards applications

The rise of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the development of new functional materials for the most diverse applications seems to be tightly cuffed to their chemical functionalization. The reasons are multifaceted as functionalization can 1) improve solubility of CNTs, 2) provide them with anchor points for post-modification with application-dependant functional molecules 3) decrease their toxicity for medicinal and biological applications.