Self-assembly of a sulphur-terminated graphene nanoribbon within a single-walled carbon nanotube
Self-assembly of a sulphur-terminated graphene nanoribbon within a single-walled carbon nanotube
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DOI：
10.1038/nmat3082
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发表时间：
2011-09-01
期刊：
影响因子：
41.2
通讯作者：
Khlobystov, A. N.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Chuvilin, A.;Bichoutskaia, E.;Khlobystov, A. N.
通过改变纳米带的宽度和边缘结构（1-3）来调节石墨烯纳米带（GNR）的性质的能力拓宽了石墨烯在电子器件中的潜在应用（4-6）。虽然GNR的组装最近已经成为可能，但当前的方法受到对其原子结构的有限控制（7-13），或者需要在超高真空条件下在原子级平坦表面上仔细组织前体（14）。在这里，我们证明GNR可以从单壁碳纳米管内分子前体的随机混合物中自组装，这确保了纳米带在一维上的传播并决定了其宽度。GNR的硫封端悬挂键使这些原本不稳定的纳米带在其他形式的碳上具有竞争力。电子显微镜显示纳米管的椭圆变形，以及纳米管的螺旋扭曲和螺旋状运动。这些效应提出了控制这些纳米材料性质的新方法，例如电子带隙和电荷载流子浓度。
The ability to tune the properties of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) through modification of the nanoribbon's width and edge structure(1-3) widens the potential applications of graphene in electronic devices(4-6). Although assembly of GNRs has been recently possible, current methods suffer from limited control of their atomic structure(7-13), or require the careful organization of precursors on atomically flat surfaces under ultra-high vacuum conditions(14). Here we demonstrate that a GNR can self-assemble from a random mixture of molecular precursors within a single-walled carbon nanotube, which ensures propagation of the nanoribbon in one dimension and determines its width. The sulphur-terminated dangling bonds of the GNR make these otherwise unstable nanoribbons thermodynamically viable over other forms of carbon. Electron microscopy reveals elliptical distortion of the nanotube, as well as helical twist and screw-like motion of the nanoribbon. These effects suggest novel ways of controlling the properties of these nanomaterials, such as the electronic band gap and the concentration of charge carriers.