Exploring the nano cleanroom inside SWCNT

Exploring the inside of single wall carbon nanotubes by Raman scattering and in situ scanning probe spectroscopy. Single wall carbon nanotubes represent new phases of carbon which exhibit unique electronic and mechanical properties. Due to their small size in radial direction and their long extension in axial direction the electronic structure is highly onedimensional with macroscopic quatization for the transversal wave functions. Mechanically the tubes retain the excellent properties of graphite in the honeycomb plane. Recently increasing attention is being paid to the interior of the nanotubes. This area provides a highly shielded nanospace with concave boundary. Various fullerenes and also some other compounds were successfully encapsulated into this nanospace and were demonstrated to undergo unusual chemical reactions which do not exist outside this space. Whereas electronic and mechanical properties of the nanotubes have been analyzed reasonably well very little is known about the interior of the tubes. In this project we suggest to study the highly shielded clean nanospace inside the tubes by Raman scattering and scanning probe microscopy and scanning probe spectroscopy. This studies will be performed by analyzing in a first step the process of opening and filling of the tubes and in a second step by analyzing chemical reactions inside the tubes. From recent Raman experiments we demonstrated that inside the tubes highly defect free material can be grown. Particular attention will be paid to the transformation of fullerenes encapsulated in the tubes to a second nanotube shell with a rather small diameter. In the variable temperature scanning probe system which will be used for the research work it will be possible to record such transformations in situ. This will allow to observe details of the transition process. For the proposed work experiments an mats or bundles of filled single wall carbon nanotubes will be performed as well as experiments an filled individual tubes.