By pushing the relatively inert interior surface of a carbon nanotube to participate in a chemical reaction, researchers have altered the tube's structure.
Single-walled carbon nanotubes have long been used as vessels for chemical reactions, in which they generally have a passive role. Andrei Khlobystov of the University of Nottingham, UK, and his colleagues used a high-resolution electron microscope to image a nanotube as its inner surface was attacked by a catalytically active rhenium atom that they had placed inside. Their images show that a defect in the structure develops into a nanoprotrusion that then rounds off and becomes symmetrical (pictured).
The authors suggest that the formation of nanoprotrusions is a new avenue to explore in establishing the full potential of nanotubes as nanoreactors.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nanotube chemistry. Nature 476, 374 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/476374c
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/476374c
