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Ultra-thin double-walled carbon nanotubes: A novel nanocontainer for preparing atomic wires

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Abstract

Double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) with high graphitization have been synthesized by hydrogen arc discharge. The obtained DWCNTs have a narrow distribution of diameters of both the inner and outer tubes, and more than half of the DWCNTs have inner diameters in the range 0.6–1.0 nm. Field electron emission from a DWCNT cathode to an anode has been measured, and the emission current density of DWCNTs reached 1 A/cm2 at an applied field of about 4.3 V/μm. After high-temperature treatment of DWCNTs, long linear carbon chains (C-chains) can be grown inside the ultra-thin DWCNTs to form a novel C-chain@DWCNT nanostructure, showing that these ultra-thin DWCNTs are an appropriate nanocontainer for preparing truly one-dimensional nanostructures with one-atom-diameter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, and Institute of Low-Dimensional Carbons and Device Physics, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China

    Lei Shi, Leimei Sheng, Liming Yu, Kang An & Xinluo Zhao

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Meijo University, Nagoya, 468-8502, Japan

    Yoshinori Ando

Authors
  1. Lei Shi
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  2. Leimei Sheng
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  3. Liming Yu
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  4. Kang An
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  5. Yoshinori Ando
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  6. Xinluo Zhao
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Correspondence to Leimei Sheng or Xinluo Zhao.

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Shi, L., Sheng, L., Yu, L. et al. Ultra-thin double-walled carbon nanotubes: A novel nanocontainer for preparing atomic wires. Nano Res. 4, 759–766 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-011-0132-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-011-0132-y

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