Nanocapillarity and chemistry in carbon nanotubes

Journal Article · Fri Dec 13 04:00:00 EST 1996 · Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.274.5294.1897· OSTI ID:513376

Ugarte, D ^[1]; Chatelain, A ^[2]; Heer, W.A. de ^[3]

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1. Laboratorio Nacional de Luz Sincroron, Campinas SP (Brazil)
2. Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (Switzerland)
3. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)

Open carbon nanotubes were filled with molten silver nitrate by capillary forces. Only those tubes with inner diameters of 4 nanometers or more were filled, suggesting a capillarity size dependence as a result of the lowering of the nanotube-salt interface energy with increasing curvature of the nanotube walls. Nanotube cavities should also be less chemically reactive than graphite and may serve as nanosize test tubes. This property has been illustrated by monitoring the decomposition of silver nitrate within nanotubes in situ in an electron microscope, which produced chains of silver nanobeads separated by high-pressure gas pockets. 32 refs., 3 figs.

• OSTI ID: 513376
• Journal Information: Science, Journal Name: Science Journal Issue: 5294 Vol. 274; ISSN SCIEAS; ISSN 0036-8075
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CAPILLARY FLOW
CARBON
CHEMISTRY
TUBES