Observations of Chemical Reactions at the Atomic Scale: Dynamics of Metal-Mediated Fullerene Coalescence and Nanotube Rupture

摘要

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), which are graphitic tubular structures with single-atom-thick sidewalk and varying diameters, are effective containers for a wide variety of molecular species. They are particularly suitable for study by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Chemical reactions between molecules inside nanotubes can be triggered by external stimuli (for example, the TEM electron beam), with the nanotube acting as a miniature reactor vessel/51 thus potentially steering a chemical reaction along a new pathway towards new products.