Local “repristinization” of oxidized single-walled carbon nanotubes by laser treatment

Though having passed the second decade since their discovery, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) still hold promise in different fields, and many steps forward have been done. However, one major limit is given by their lack of solubility, which still represents a challenge, given the need to properly handle the material for many applications. The most efficient strategies to solve this problem often rely on a covalent chemical modification of CNT structure, in order to prevent inter-tube interactions. However, many applications, being based on CNT peculiar electronic properties, require structural integrity, and they are therefore incompatible with such strategies.