Modifying the electronic properties of multi-wall carbon nanotubes via charge transfer, by chemical doping with some inorganic fluorides

Abstract The reactivity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes with some inorganic fluorides (BF 3 , TiF 4 , NbF 5 and WF 6 ) has been studied. The accommodation of the fluorinated species into the carbon lattice has been shown to result from intercalation and adsorption/condensation phenomena. Charge transfer, induced by such a chemical doping, has been clearly evidenced by 19 F NMR and ESR spectroscopy. The doped materials exhibit insulating properties. Due to a restriction in size of the intercalated domains, the opportunity of achievement of a homogeneous doping level and of resulting isotropic 1D transport properties in chemically modified carbon nanotubes is discussed.