Carbon Nanotubes Decorated with Cationic Carbosilane Dendrons and Their Hybrids with Nucleic Acids

The first example of non-covalent functionalization of single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with cationic carbosilane dendrons via pyrene anchor groups is reported herein. The non-covalent functionalization of the CNT surface with dendrons is compatible with the covalent functionalization of CNT tips and defect sites with amino-compounds. The modified CNTs have been shown to bind therapeutic oligonucleotides efficiently. The results obtained may provide useful insight for the design of multifunctional nanocarriers for nucleic acid delivery.