Fullerene storage mechanism into single-wall carbon nanotubes and nanohorns

I&EC 268

K. Ajima1, M. Yudasaka2, K. Suenaga3, D. Kasuya2, T. Azami2, and S. Iijima2. (1) CNT Proj, JST, 34 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8501, Japan, (2) CNT Project, NEC, JST, 34 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibarakai, 305-8501, Japan, (3) AIST, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8565, Japan
Carbonaceous materials, such as activated carbon, have long been known to possess gnano-spacesh where a variety of materials can be accommodated. However, mechanism to store objects is not yet fully understood. We visualized, for the first time, how the materials were stored in the inner-spaces of nano-carbons, using single-wall carbon nanotubes and nanohorns, into which C60 were incorporated by the liquid-phase methods [1]. Their structures observed with HRTEM proved that the nanometer-scale holes were indispensable for C60 to be stored inside carbon nano-pores and that the adsorption rate of C60 was largely dependent on the nano-scale curvature of graphitic planes composing the nano-spaces. The works presented here will lead to a future development of designed porous nano-carbon materials that could selectively store molecules for a specific purpose. [1] M. Yudasaka, K. Ajima, K. Suenaga, T. Ichihashi, A. Hashimoto and S. Iijima, Chem. Phys. Lett. 380, 42 (2003).