Treatment of carbon nanotubes is used to add carboxylic group to carbon,since in carbon nanotube or graphene there almost carbon-carbon covalent bond by SP orbital overlap. After add carboxylic group the CNTs is ready to use for biological molecules (antibodies, DNA, amino-acids...) due to presence of amine group or another reactive group. Conclusion: without treatment CNT cannot connect to another chemical group.
ALSO in this paper there is a confusion they prepared the citrate capped gold nanoparticles(AUNPs) but when antibody is immobilize on gold they mention that the bonding will be through amine. as according to me the citrate capped the gold nanoparticles so AUNPs now became negatively charge so now it cannot react with amine group of antibody.