Polyarene Functionalized Fullerenes in Carbon Nanotubes: Towards Controlled Geometry of Molecular Chains

Author(s)

T.W. Chamberlain, Rudolf Pfeiffer, Herwig Peterlik, Hans Kuzmany, Francesco Zerbetto, Manuel Melle-Franco, Luke Staddon, Neil R. Champness, Gordon Andrew D. Briggs, Andrei N. Khlobystov

Abstract

Mechanisms for controlling the assembly of molecular arrays in carbon nanotubes via alteration of the size and geometry of the functional groups attached to the molecules inserted into the nanotubes are studied. As model compounds, a series of structurally related fullerenes functionalized with polyaryl groups (C(60)X, where X is a polyaryl group) of various lengths are synthesized to explore this effect. These molecules are inserted into single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) under mild conditions to prevent their decomposition and to form C(60)X@SNWT structures. The molecular chains thus formed are studied by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy, revealing that the functional groups increase the interfullerene separation proportionally with the size of X However, the functional groups themselves appear to adopt various orientations with respect to each other and exhibit intermolecular pi-pi interactions within the cavities of the carbon nanotubes. All these effects create a distribution of observed interfullerene separations in nanotubes, which are examined by theoretical simulations and interpreted in terms of molecular geometries and intermolecular interactions.

Organisation(s)

Dynamics of Condensed Systems

External organisation(s)

University of Nottingham, University of Bologna, University of Oxford

Journal

Small

Volume

4

Pages

2262-2270

No. of pages

9

ISSN

1613-6810

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.200800552

Publication date

2008

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103009 Solid state physics, 210006 Nanotechnology, 103018 Materials physics

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/d244df56-6a82-4257-a167-d4ab40ea1c73