Either single or multi walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) have been widely used for biomedical

applications, especially as a drug carrier due to their low cytotoxicity, high surface area, and easy
surface modification [1]. They can carry materials, such as metals, semiconductors, salts, organic
materials, fullerenes and others. Besides drug carrier, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) can
also be applied for photothermal cancer ablation as they can release substantial vibrational energy
under exposure of Near Infrared Radiation (NIR) [2]; however, their application is hindered by the
limited manipulation of CNT owing to their insolubility in most organic and inorganic aqueous
solutions [3].

Several researches have been done to improve the properties of MWCNT. For example, modification
of the material surface or functional group inside of MWCNT through chemical functionalization has
been explored for the purpose of creating a bond with another drug or other materials, so that the
functionalized MWCNT can enhance the drug delivery system. One of the promising modifications is
by treating MWCNT with strong oxidant such as HNO3, KMNO4, or HNO3/H2SO4 to form fractional
concentration of carboxyl groups. Many previous studies report that strong oxidant is able to oxidize
MWCNT surface and this can increase the MWCNTs solubility characteristics. The research of
Olugbenga et al. proves that using of organic acid-inorganic acid mixture is potential for the
purification of CNTs [4]. Shen et al. reported that amino-functionalized MWCNTs can improve their
dispersion in H2O [3]. L. Thi Mai Hoa [5] oxidized MWCNTs in a mixture of HNO3/H2SO4 to study the
influence of different oxidizing conditions on the morphological and chemical-physical properties of
MWCNTs.

Oxidation of MWCNT is the first step to further functionalization by combining organic materials,
such as chitosan. Chitosan is an alternative amine-based polymer, derived from chitin, a natural
biopolymer [6]. Incorporation of lightweight carbon nanotube structures into chitosan matrix offers
a novel approach to the design of high-performance composite with superior mechanical properties
[7]. By combining chitosan with functionalized MWCNT, it is expected to raise the effectiveness of
targeted drug delivery application. Functionalization of MWCNTs with chitosan also enhances the
antimicrobial features. Chitosan does not only provide functionality to MWCNTs, but also reduce
their susceptibility for auto-aggregation which is essential for the application of drug delivery
system.

In the present work, we are mainly concerned with optimization for condition of reaction for
MWCNTs functionalization by oxidizing the MWCNTs with nitric acid and mixture of HNO3/H2SO4.
The aim of the present paper is to investigate the influence of reaction time, temperature, and ratio
of HNO3/H2SO4 on the amount of carboxylated groups in modified MWCNTs. Result showed covalent
attachment of chitosan to the carbon nanotubes.

[3] J. Shen, W. Huang, L. Wu, Y. Hu, and M. Ye, “Thermo-physical properties of epoxy
nanocomposites reinforced with amino-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes,”
Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, vol. 38, no. 5, pp. 1331–1336, May
2007.

[4] O. Oludayo Olugbenga, D. O. Michael, and I. Sunny, “Investigation on Purification Potential of

Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Using Organic-Mineral Acid Mixture,” Journal of Nanoscience
and Nanoengineering, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 1–8, 2018.

[5] L. Thi Mai Hoa, “Characterization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes functionalized by a

mixture of HNO3/H2SO4,” Diamond and Related Materials, vol. 89, pp. 43–51, Oct. 2018.
[6] K. Osler, N. Twala, O. O. Oluwasina, and M. O. Daramola, “Synthesis and Performance
Evaluation of Chitosan/Carbon Nanotube (Chitosan/MWCNT) Composite Adsorbent for Post-
combustion Carbon Dioxide Capture,” in Energy Procedia, 2017, vol. 114, pp. 2330–2335.

[7] N. A. Mohamed, N. F. Al-Harby, and M. S. Almarshed, “Synthesis and characterization of

novel trimellitic anhydride isothiocyanate-cross linked chitosan hydrogels modified with
multi-walled carbon nanotubes for enhancement of antimicrobial activity,” International
Journal of Biological Macromolecules, vol. 132, pp. 416–428, Jul. 2019.