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Polymer-wrapping has enabled the sorting and purification of large amounts of semiconducting and monochiral single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) that can be applied in a wide range of (opto-)electronic devices with outstanding charge transport properties. Their near-infrared emission properties are tunable either by strong-light matter coupling, i.e., the formation of exciton-polaritons in Fabry-Pérot cavities (Nat. Mater. 2017, 16, 911 & ACS Photonics 2021, 8, 182) or by controlled introduction of different luminescent sp³-defects. These quantum defects with characteristically red-shifted emission and long photoluminescence (PL) lifetimes enable higher PL quantum yields and single-photon emission at room temperature. They can be created in a controlled manner in polymer-wrapped semiconducting nanotubes in organic solvents (ACS Nano 2019, 13, 9259). Their impact on charge transport and electroluminescence has been investigated in ambipolar field-effect transistors with dense SWNT networks (ACS Nano 2021, 15, 10451). Various substituents of sp³ defects are possible including stable organic radicals, which directly interact with the excitons localized at the defects (ACS Nano 2021, 15, 5147). Furthermore, the type and wavelength of the defect emission is governed by the precise binding configuration for chiral (6,5) SWNTs. A simple synthetic protocol relying on nucleophilic addition instead of radical-based reactions facilitates the introduction of even more red-shifted defects that are excellent single-photon emitters at room temperature (Nat. Commun. 2021, 12, 2119). Here, I will give an overview of our recent progress on the targeted functionalization of polymer-wrapped (6,5) SWNTs, their emission and charge transport properties with and without defects.
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