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Title: Low-frequency excitations of C{sub 60} chains inserted inside single-walled carbon nanotubes

Journal Article · · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
; ; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. Groupe de Dynamique des Phases Condensees (UMR CNRS 5581), Universite Montpellier II, F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 5 (France)

The low-frequency excitations of C{sub 60} chains inserted inside single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been studied by inelastic neutron scattering on a high-quality sample of peapods. The comparison of the neutron-derived generalized phonon density of states (GDOS) of the peapods sample with that of raw SWNTs allows the vibrational properties of the C{sub 60} chains encapsulated in the hollow core of the SWNTs to be probed. Lattice dynamical models are used to calculate the GDOS of chains of monomers, dimers, and polymers inserted into SWNTs, which are compared to the experimental data. The presence of strong interactions between C{sub 60} cages inside the nanotube is clearly demonstrated by an excess of mode density in the frequency range around 10 meV. However, the presence of a quasielastic signal indicates that some of the C{sub 60}'s undergo rotational motion. This suggests that peapods are made from a mixture of C{sub 60} monomers and C{sub 60} n-mer (dimer, trimer, ..., polymer) structures.

OSTI ID:
20665063
Journal Information:
Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 71, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.71.041403; (c) 2005 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1098-0121
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English