Author: Simon, Ferenc

Source: Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Volume 7, Numbers 4-5, April/May 2007 , pp. 1197-1220(24)

Publisher: American Scientific Publishers

Abstract:

Encapsulating fullerenes, magnetic fullerenes, ¹³C isotope enriched fullerenes, and organic solvents inside SWCNTs enables to yield unprecedented insight into their electronic, optical, and interfacial properties and to study SWCNT growth. In addition to customary methods of their studies such as e.g., optical absorption or Raman spectroscopy, these efforts enables to employ electron spin resonance (ESR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Encapsulated C₆₀ fullerenes are transformed to inner tubes by a high temperature annealing. The diameter distribution of the inner tubes follow that of the outer ones and their unique, low defect concentration makes them an ideal model system for high resolution and energy dependent Raman studies. The observation of Raman modes of individual inner-outer tube pairs allows to measure the inner-outer tube interaction strength that is also well described theoretically. Reversible closing and opening of SWCNT can be studied in a diameter selective manner by encapsulating C₆₀ and transforming it to an inner tube. The growth of inner tubes can be achieved from ¹³C enriched encapsulated organic solvents, which shows that the geometry of the fullerene does not play a particular role in the inner tube growth as it was originally thought. In addition, it opens new perspectives to explore the in-the-tube chemistry. Growth of inner tubes from ¹³C enriched fullerenes provides a unique isotope engineered heteronuclear system, where the outer tubes contain natural carbon and the inner walls are controllably ¹³C isotope enriched. The material enables to identify the vibrational modes of inner tubes which otherwise strongly overlap with the outer tube modes. The ¹³C NMR signal of the material has an unprecedented specificity for the small diameter SWCNTs. Temperature and field dependent ¹³C T₁ studies show a uniform metallic-like electronic state for all inner tubes rather than distributed metallic and isolating behavior. A low energy, 3 meV gap is observed that is tentatively assigned to a long sought Peierls transition in the small diameter SWCNTs. Encapsulating magnetic fullerenes, such as N@C₆₀ and C₅₉N opens the way for local probe ESR studies of the electronic properties of the SWCNTs.

Keywords: CARBON NANOTUBES; FULLERENE ENCAPSULATION; DOUBLE-WALL CARBON NANOTUBES; ISOTOPE ENGINEERED NANOTUBES; RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY; MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY

Document Type: Review article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1166/jnn.2007.306

Publication date: 2007-04-01

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• Journal for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (JNN) is an international and multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal with a wide-ranging coverage, consolidating research activities in all areas of nanoscience and nanotechnology into a single and unique reference source. JNN is the first cross-disciplinary journal to publish original full research articles, rapid communications of important new scientific and technological findings, timely state-of-the-art reviews with author's photo and short biography, and current research news encompassing the fundamental and applied research in all disciplines of science, engineering and medicine.
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