Doping Carbon Nanomaterials with Heteroatoms

This chapter summarizes the structure, synthesis, characterization, and applications of doped single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene doped with heteroatoms of nitrogen (N), boron (B), and phosphorus (P). Achieving the desired functionality or modification of the properties of the carbon materials depends on the local bonding of the dopants. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD), which depends on the pyrolysis of precursor gases, has proven to be the most versatile and attractive technique, and it has been most commonly reported for the synthesis of doped nanotubes and graphene. The characterization of a doped nanotube sample depends closely on the aim of the study and application purpose of the material. Different and novel materials are expected to find potential applications particularly suited to their specific properties. In this respect, electrocatalysis for nitrogen doped multiwalled CNTs (N-MWCNTs) and sensing using doped single-walled species represent very promising fields.