CdSe quantum dot-decorated double walled carbon nanotubes: The effect of chemical moieties

We report that fluorine atoms on the outer tubes of double walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) are more effective for nucleating and growing CdSe nanoparticles than oxygen-containing functional groups. The CdSe particles with an average size of 5–7 nm grow through infiltration into an interstitial space created by four to five thin bundled DWNTs. We envisage that DWNTs will replace single and multiwalled carbon nanotubes in a wide range of applications because chemical moieties could be introduced selectively on the outer tubes while the optical and physical properties of the inner tubes remain almost unchanged.