Energy level alignment of single-wall carbon nanotubes on metal surfaces

We studied the electronic configuration of single-wall carbon nanotubes adsorbed on well-defined Au(111) and Cu(111) surfaces. We found opposite behaviors for their energy-level alignment with metal: nanotubes are p-doped on Au(111) and n-doped on Cu(111). The doping level is not uniquely defined for a particular metal surface but rather exhibits a distribution depending on several uncontrolled factors such as nanotube geometry and adsorption configuration.