Surface modification of carbon nanotubes by anionic approach

•Surface modifications of CNTs have been explored by anionic approach.•Anionic approach enabled variety of covalent modification with less damage.•Anionic approach allows direct polymer grafting on CNT surface.

In recent years, varieties of approaches for surface modifications of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been proposed to disperse them in various media for the purpose of construction of new class of high performance composites. Since nucleophilic anionic addition of alkyllithium on CNT surface was discovered, this approach is widely spread to surface modifications and functionalizations. Additionally, generated carbanions on the CNT surface have been used for further reactions for functionalizations including low molecular weight functionalization, polymer grafting by addition of anionic living polymer onto CNT surface, and anionic polymerization from the carbanions. In this short review, modifications and functionalizations of CNTs by those approaches and properties of the composites utilized by the obtained CNTs were described.