Advances in Modification and Characterization of Carbon Nanomaterials

Carbon nanomaterials continue to captivate researchers across multiple disciplines due to their unique structural and electronic properties. These materials, ranging from zero-dimensional fullerenes to three-dimensional graphene structures, exhibit different electronic behaviors, from insulating to metallic. The continuous arrays of conjugated carbons present in these materials pose significant challenges in terms of solubilization and covalent functionalization. Extensive studies of the chemistry of fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene have brought deep understanding of their structure-property relation. Addition and cycloaddition reactions dominate the covalent functionalization, while the non-covalent approach involves a wide variety of species. The interaction between conjugated carbon surface and metals has led to the creation of compounds and structures with novel electronic, optoelectronic, and catalytic properties. In recent years, focus has been placed on applying nano-carbon chemistry to develop novel structures and devices for advanced applications in energy, biomedicine, electronics, robotics, sensors, and composites.

This Research Topic aims to explore recent advancements in the production and chemical modification of carbon nanomaterials, including fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, graphene, hetero-atom doped carbon materials, holey graphene, and carbon/graphene quantum dots, and their assembly in organized structures, films and composites. The topic will also cover the application of traditional and novel characterization techniques to understand the effect of chemistry on the morphology, electronic structure, and bond formation in carbon nanomaterials.

To gather further insights into the modification and characterization of carbon nanomaterials, we welcome original research, review, mini-review, and perspective articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Synthesis and characterization for carbon nanomaterials such as fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, hetero-atom doped carbon materials, graphene, holey graphene, and carbon/graphene quantum dots
- Assembly of carbon nanomaterials into organized structures, films, and composites
- Application of traditional and novel characterization techniques
- Studies on adsorption and surface properties
- Electrochemical characterization of carbon nanomaterials
- Electronic properties and measurements using techniques such as UV-vis-NIR, Raman, XPS, SEM, TEM, and HRTEM"

Keywords: Fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, hetero-atom doped graphene, holey graphene, carbon quantum dots

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.