Single-walled carbon nanotubes and photo switchable spiropyrans : novel multifunctional platforms for sensing and biological applications

Abstract

Over the last years the applications of chemically modified carbon nanotubes have considerably expanded and progressed in both material and biomedical science. A vast number of SWNTs based materials have been rationally designed and synthesized to combine specific properties of different matters in a single nanoplatform. However, there is still plenty of room for the realization of smart SWNTs composites constituted by molecular devices able to respond to external stimuli with a degree of "intelligence".