Synthesis of Graphene Nanoribbons Encapsulated in Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

• Published in: Nano letters 2011-10, Vol.11 (10), p.4352-4356
• Main Authors: Talyzin, Alexandr V, Anoshkin, Ilya V, Krasheninnikov, Arkady V, Nieminen, Risto M, Nasibulin, Albert G, Jiang, Hua, Kauppinen, Esko I
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Dimerization; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Electronic structure of nanoscale materials : clusters, nanoparticles, nanotubes, and nanocrystals; Electronics; Encapsulation; Exact sciences and technology; Fullerenes and related materials; diamonds, graphite; Graphene; graphene carbon nanotubes; Materials science; materiefysik; Molecular electronics, nanoelectronics; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nanostructure; Nanotubes; Photonics; Physics; Physics Of Matter; Polyallylamine hydrochloride; Polymerization; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Single wall carbon nanotubes; Specific materials
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/nl2024678

A novel material, graphene nanoribbons encapsulated in single-walled carbon nanotubes (GNR@SWNT), was synthesized using confined polymerization and fusion of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. Formation of the GNR is possible due to confinement effects provided by the one-dimensional space inside nanotubes, which helps to align coronene or perylene molecules edge to edge to achieve dimerization and oligomerization of the molecules into long nanoribbons. Almost 100% filling of SWNT with GNR is achieved while nanoribbon length is limited only by the length of the encapsulating nanotube. The PAH fusion reaction provides a very simple and easily scalable method to synthesize GNR@SWNT in macroscopic amounts. First-principle simulations indicate that encapsulation of the GNRs is energetically favorable and that the electronic structure of the encapsulated GNRs is the same as for the free-standing ones, pointing to possible applications of the GNR@SWNT structures in photonics and nanoelectronics.