Metal atoms interact with graphitic surfaces by physisorption or more strongly in a chemisorption process involving ionic or covalent bonding. The latter interaction usually involves rehybridization of the carbon atoms from sp2 to sp3.  Our group recently introduced the use of organometallic hexahapto covalent bonding of transition metals to graphene surfaces in order to interconnect such delocalized systems without inducing structural rehybridization or greatly perturbing the electronic structure. This new type of bonding is able to interconnect single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and decreases the electrical resistance of thin film networks, particularly on formation of the (?6�SWNT)Cr(?6�SWNT) bond. While such bonds are expected to be covalent, the use of the highly electropositive lanthanides offers the possibility of hexahapto bonding combined with ionic character. We exposed single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) thin films to Lanthanide series metal vapors and confirmed the nature of these bonds by electrical conductivity and spectroscopy measurements.

Nature of the bonding in lanthanide-single walled carbon nanotube thin films

248th National Meeting (2014)

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