Issue 19, 2004

Low temperature assembly of fullerene arrays in single-walled carbon nanotubes using supercritical fluids

Abstract

Molecules assembled inside nanotubes to form 1D arrays exhibit functional properties different to the bulk crystal and have been proposed for many applications ranging from catalysis to quantum computing. We have discovered that single-walled carbon nanotubes can be efficiently filled with fullerenes in supercritical fluids at temperatures as low as 30–50 °C. Despite the low solubility of fullerenes in supercritical fluids, the nanotube filling was particularly effective in supercritical carbon dioxide producing Cn@SWNT structures in 70% yield at 50 °C. This method was also applied for functionalized and endohedral fullerenes and allows insertion of thermally unstable molecules which would be impossible to insert in nanotubes using standard techniques. We discuss the advantages of using supercritical fluids as compared to conventional solvents and propose mechanisms for fullerene encapsulation at low temperatures.

Graphical abstract: Low temperature assembly of fullerene arrays in single-walled carbon nanotubes using supercritical fluids

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
19 Mar 2004
Accepted
15 Jul 2004
First published
13 Aug 2004

J. Mater. Chem., 2004,14, 2852-2857

Low temperature assembly of fullerene arrays in single-walled carbon nanotubes using supercritical fluids

A. N. Khlobystov, D. A. Britz, J. Wang, S. A. O'Neil, M. Poliakoff and G. A. D. Briggs, J. Mater. Chem., 2004, 14, 2852 DOI: 10.1039/B404167D

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