Adsorption Of Linear Chain Molecules On Carbon Nanotubes

We investigate molecular adsorption on single-walled carbon nanotubes (NTs) by ab initio calculations and by measurements of the conductivity response of NT arrays to trace vapors for a range of linear chain molecules. Experiment and calculations show that the short-time responses give adsorption energies that increase linearly with the molecular length. This systematic dependence indicates that the initial adsorption occurs on the defect-free regions of NTs and that these regions can play an important role in the adsorption process on NTs.