Functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes with ribonucleic acids

Abstract

The optical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) dispersed in aqueous solutions of ribonucleic acids (RNA) purified from Escherichia coli were studied using photoluminescence (PL), Raman, and absorption spectroscopy. SWCNT-RNA complexes, down to a single isolated nanotube level, were successfully synthesized. SWCNT signatures in Raman, PL, and absorption spectroscopy were observed from the SWCNT-RNA complexes. Observation of two distinct PL peaks, one at 1.248 eV and the other at 1.392 eV, confirmed the existence of isolated (6,5) and (6,4) SWCNTs, respectively. Atomic force microscope images and height profiles also showed evidence of isolated SWCNT-RNA complex.