XANES study of phenylalanine and glycine adsorption on single-walled carbon nanotubes

We applied X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to investigate the adsorption of amino acids (phenylalanine and glycine) onto single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The adsorption of amino acids has been confirmed by XANES analysis. Moreover, a clear energy shift of the C 1s to πC=O⁎ peak for glycine adsorbed on SWCNTs has been identified and assigned to the interaction between the amino acid and SWCNTs. The experimental data confirm the capability of the XANES spectroscopy as a powerful tool to characterize fine structural details at the interface of complex bio-systems.