The investigation of carbon nanotubes and graphene sheets is driven by the various exotic properties of these materials and the potential to exploit those properties in commercial applications. Over the past decade, the intrinsic properties of nanocarbons have been extensively researched to the point of being well understood, but a consensus has developed that defects in these materials play very important roles. For example, single point defects can dominate the properties of one-dimensional carbon nanotubes, completely altering the mechanical strength, carrier mobility, or excitonic physics that underlie potential applications.

Despite an obvious and growing need to understand the properties of defects in these materials, progress in this area has been relatively slow. The study of point defects demands measurements and characterization to be done at nearly the atomic resolution. Furthermore, this work draws equally upon knowledge from organic and inorganic chemistry, electrochemistry, ultrafast optics, semiconductor physics, etc. As an enormously interdisciplinary field, the challenge of understanding nanocarbon defects is poorly served by existing conferences.

This TSRC workshop attempts to bring together researchers at this new frontier to discuss current challenges and opportunities from chemical, physical, and theoretical perspectives. The scope of the workshop will span from defect creation and derivitization to defect characterization and theoretical modeling. We aim to attract world leaders from the fields of materials synthesis, microscopy, transport, and molecular dynamics to discuss the challenges, current state of the art, and future opportunities afforded by the novel chemistry and physics of defects in one dimensional carbon.