Prof. Jana Zaumseil
Institute for Physical Chemistry, University Heidelberg

Selective polymer-wrapping has enabled the purification of large amounts of semiconducting and even monochiral single-walled carbon nanotubes (e.g., purely (6,5) SWNTs) that can be applied in a wide range of (opto-)electronic devices with outstanding charge transport properties. Their narrow near-infrared emission is tunable by changing the wrapping polymer, by intentional doping, by strong-light matter coupling (i.e., formation of exciton-polaritons), and by the introduction of luminescent sp³-defects. These quantum defects with characteristically red-shifted emission and long photoluminescence lifetimes, enable higher quantum yields and even single-photon emission at room temperature. For chiral (6,5) SWNTs, the type of defect emission (E11* or E11*-) is governed by the precise binding configuration, which can be tuned by the applied functionalization chemistry. The observed impact of these defects on charge carrier mobility even provides insights into the interplay of inter- and intra-nanotube charge transport in networks. I will give an overview of the field and our recent progress on the targeted functionalization of semiconducting (6,5) SWNTs, their emission and charge transport properties (with and without defects).

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