Reversible electron charge transfer in single-wall carbon nanotubes

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) have proved to be very special materials due to their unique electronic properties. Over the last years many scientists have dedicated their research to the study of the these materials as an electronic system. Amphoteric doping effects (n-type and p-type), which can be reversed, became a very popular way of manipulating the optic and electronic properties of carbon nanotubes. In the particular case of SWCNT, the most common and widely used procedure, which changes their properties, is acid treatment applied as a purification procedure. The effect of the addition of this kind of the dopant has been widely studied but not fully understood so far. Here, we present a study, of two kinds of SWCNT, produced within different techniques: (i) chemical vapors deposition and (ii) laser ablation. The main difference between the two types is the diameter distribution of the obtained materials, which is broad in the first technique and narrow in the second. After the acid treatment it is possible to observe a diameter sensitive doping effect on both samples. Resonance Raman spectroscopy, optical absorption spectroscopy (OAS) in UV/Vis/NIR and the Fourier transform middle-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy have been applied for the characterization of the samples.