Surface Carboxylation of a Boron-Carbon BC5 Nanotube in the Development of Sensor Devices

Abstract

This article discusses the possibility of the fabrication of a highly sensitive sensor based on single-walled boron-carbon BC5 nanotubes surface modified with functional carboxyl groups (-COOH). The sensor potential for detection of alkali (lithium, potassium, and sodium) metals were investigated. The results of computer simulation of the interaction process between the sensor and an arbitrary surface of the modified tube containing atoms of the studied metals are presented. The carboxylated BC5 nanotube and a similarly modified BC3 nanotube was compared. The effect of boron atoms on sensory properties of the obtained system is concluded. The calculations were carried out within the framework of the density functional theory (DFT) method using the molecular cluster model. It has been proved that surface-modified boron-carbon nanotubes by carboxyl group show high sensitivity for the metal atoms under study and can be used as the sensor device.