A theoretical study on the interaction of amphetamine and single-walled carbon nanotubes

The adsorption of 1-phenyl-2-aminopropane (amphetamine) on the (4,4), (5,5), (6,6), and (7,7) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) has been theoretically investigated. The molecule has been located in different modes including parallel, perpendicular, and oblique on the outer surface of carbon nanotubes. The physisorption of amphetamine onto SWCNT sidewall is thermodynamically favored; as a consequence, it modulates the electronic properties of pristine nanotube in the vicinity of Fermi region. The adsorption energies for the parallel and oblique modes found in the range of -1.13 to -1.88 and -1.27 to -2.01 kcal/mol, respectively. Projected density of states (PDOS) and frontier orbital analysis in the vicinity of Fermi level region suggest the electronic states to be contributed from SWCNT rather than amphetamine molecule.