there 
 is a prevailing and widely adopted view that carbon nanotubes , 
 which are finding considerable application in energy , healthcare , 
 and electronics applications , are highly ( electro)catalytically inert 
 unless modified , doped , or defected . by visualizing the electrochemical 
 reduction of oxygen ( hydrogen peroxide generation ) at high resolution 
 along pristine ( defect - free ) regions of individual single - walled carbon 
 nanotubes , 
 we show that there is , in fact , significant activity comparable 
 to that of standard gold electrocatalysts . 
 moreover , the activity 
 is greatly enhanced at strained ( kinked ) sites and regions modified 
 by oxidation . 
 single - walled carbon nanotubes are thus effective electrocatalysts 
 in their own right and not just supports for other materials .