Surface chemistry and structure of purified, ozonized, multiwalled carbon nanotubes probed by NEXAFS and vibrational spectroscopies.

Understanding of oxidative processes such as solution-phase ozonolysis in multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) is of fundamental importance in devising applications of these tubes as components in composite materials, as well as for development of cutting and filling protocols. We present here an evaluation of various spectroscopic tools to study the structure and composition of functionalized nanotubes. We demonstrate near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy as a particularly useful and effective technique for studying the surface chemistry of carbon nanotubes.