Bismuth-filled single-walled carbon nanotubes

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can be filled with various substances [1-4]. The substances used as fillers have different physical properties, such as work function, and melting temperature. SWCNTs can be filled through various methods, which are determined according to the melting temperature required. High-melting-temperature substances are inserted via the solution method. Substances with a low melting temperature are inserted into SWCNTs via the the melt method. Metallocenes are inserted into SWCNTs with the gas-phase method. Depending on the work function of the substance, theFermi level of the SWCNTs is expected to vary. The Fermi level can be shifted up or down in the filled SWCNTs. In this work, the SWCNTs were filled with bismuth. Bismuth is a metal with a low melting temperature (271°C), and there are no examples of bismuth being used as a filler for SWCNTs in the literature. Bismuth has a low work function. The filling procedure was conducted at temperatures as low as 400°C. The physical properties of the bismuth-filled SWCNTs were analyzed via Raman spectroscopy.

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[4] M. V. Kharlamova. Prog. Mater. Sci. 2016, 77, 125 - 211.