RT Journal Article
T1 Self-assembly of a sulphur-terminated graphene nanoribbon within a single-walled carbon nanotube
A1 Chuvilin, Andrey
A1 Bichoutskaia, E.
A1 Giménez López, María del Carmen
A1 Chamberlain, Thomas W.
A1 Rance, G.A.
A1 Kuganathan, Navaratnarajah
A1 Biskupek, Johannes
A1 Kaiser, U.
A1 Khlobystov, Andrei N.
K1 Self-assembly
K1 Graphene nanoribbon
K1 GNR@SWNT
K1 Carbon nanotube
AB The ability to tune the properties of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) through modification of the nanoribbon’s width and edge structure1,2,3 widens the potential applications of graphene in electronic devices4,5,6. Although assembly of GNRs has been recently possible, current methods suffer from limited control of their atomic structure7,8,9,10,11,12,13, or require the careful organization of precursors on atomically flat surfaces under ultra-high vacuum conditions14. 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.
PB Nature Research
SN 1476-1122
YR 2011
FD 2011
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10347/32240
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10347/32240
LA eng
NO Chuvilin, A., Bichoutskaia, E., Gimenez-Lopez, M.C., Chamberlain, T.W., Rance, G.A., Kuganathan, N., Biskupek, J., Kaiser, U., Khlobystov, A.N. (2011). Self-assembly of a sulphur-terminated graphene nanoribbon within a single-walled carbon nanotube. “Nature Materials”, vol. 10, Issue 9, 687-692
NO This work was supported by by the DFG (German Research Foundation) and theMinistry of Science, Research and the Arts (MWK) of Baden-Württemberg in the frameof the SALVE (Sub Angstrom Low-Voltage Electron microscopy project) and by the DFGwithin the research project SFB 569 (U.K. and J.B.); the EPSRC (Career AccelerationFellowship), NanoTP COST action and High Performance Computing (HPC) facility atthe University of Nottingham (E.B.); the EPSRC, ESF and the Royal Society (A.N.K. andA.C.); the FP7 Marie Curie Fellowship (M.C.G-L.); and the Nottingham Nanoscienceand Nanotechnology Centre (access to Raman spectrometer).
DS Minerva
RD 3 may 2026