Selective decoration of Ag nanoparticles was achieved at the defect sites of single-walled carbon nanotubes without causing damage to their tubular morphology. Single-walled carbon nanotubes were purified by using HCl treatment and thermal annealing, which introduced little functionalized or oxidized sites. The decoration of Ag nanoparticles was performed through η2-coordination using Sn2+ ions and a reduction of Ag+ ions on the defects of single-walled carbon nanotubes. The Ag nanoparticles were deposited selectively and heterogeneously on single-walled carbon nanotube bundles with a mean diameter of 4nm. It was suggested that the defects of single-walled carbon nanotubes played the role of electron acceptor for the landing Sn2+ ions.

Selective Decoration of Silver Nanoparticles on the Defect Sites of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes. S.K.Choi, K.Y.Chun, S.B.Lee: Diamond and Related Materials, 2009, 18[4], 637-41