AbstractAbsorption of Pb ion on the (n, 0) carbon nanotube (CNT) (n=4, 5, 6) surface, pure and defected with single vacancy, is investigated based on density functional theory. Pristine (n, 0) CNTs can produce a certain degree of chemical adsorption of Pb ion. While a single vacancy is introduced, the adsorption ability of CNTs for Pb ion increases greatly, and the band gap changes significantly before and after adsorption. SV-(6, 0) CNTs have the strongest adsorption ability, and SV-(5, 0) CNTs are the potential material for the Pb ion detection sensor. It is expected that these could be helpful to the design of Pb filters and sensors.