Preparation and electroanalytical applications of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely applied in the development of electrochemical devices in recent years. The rapid growth of scientific interest in the application of CNTs in different electrochemistry research fields has resulted from a set of chemical and physical features of these nanostructures, including high electrical conductivity, chemical stability and versatility for the immobilisation of chemical and biological species. The electrochemical performance is dependent upon various structural factors of the CNTs, such as chemical functionalisation, number of concentric tubes, exposed CNT area, and orientation. In particular, a number of recent publications have shown some beneficial effects when using vertically aligned CNTs (VACNT). Thus, this book chapter presents an overview of the processes of synthesis, functionalisation and characterisation of VACNT for applications as electrode materials for the electroanalytical determination of different target analytes.