Direct measurements of interactions between polypeptides and carbon nanotubes

The interactions of various polypeptides with individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs), both multiwall (MW) and single wall (SW) are investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The adhesion force is found to increase with the oxidation time for acid-oxidized multi-wall carbon nanotubes (Ox-MWCNTs) and to be negligible for oxidized single-wall carbon nanotubes (Ox-SWCNTs).