Computational and experimental studies of the interaction between single-walled carbon nanotubes and folic acid

This Letter involved the preparation of a conjugate between single-walled carbon nanotubes and folic acid that was obtained without covalent chemical functionalization using a simple ‘one pot’ synthesis method. Subsequently, the conjugate was investigated by a computational hybrid method: our own N-layered Integrated Molecular Orbital and Molecular Mechanics (B3LYP(6–31G(d):UFF)). The results confirmed that the interaction occurred via hydrogen bonding between protons of the glutamic moiety from folic acid and π electrons from the carbon nanotubes. The single-walled carbon nanotube-folic acid conjugate presented herein is believed to lead the way to new potential applications as carbon nanotube-based drug delivery systems.