Hybrid materials and methods for producing the same
View Patent ↗A hybrid material is provided which comprises a first single-walled nanotube having a lumen, and a fill molecule contained within the lumen of the single-walled nanotube. A method for producing the hybrid material is also provided wherein a single-walled nanotube is contacted with a fill molecule to cause the fill molecule to enter the lumen of the single-walled nanotube.
1. A hybrid material comprising:
a. a first single-walled nanotube having a lumen; and
b. a plurality of regularly spaced fullerene molecules contained within the lumen of the first single-walled nanotube.
2. The hybrid material of claim 1 wherein the first single-walled nanotube has a diameter in the range of from about 1.3 nm to about 1.5 nm.
3. The hybrid material of claim 1 wherein the fullerene molecules include at least one C 60 molecule.
4. The hybrid material of claim 3 wherein the fullerene molecules include a plurality of C 60 molecules.
5. The hybrid material of claim 1 wherein the fullerene molecules include at least one carbon-based capsule.
6. The hybrid material of claim 5 wherein the carbon-based capsule comprises a hemispherically-capped cylinder of carbon having 60+10 n carbon atoms, wherein n≧0.
7. The hybrid material of claim 6 wherein the hemispherically-capped cylinder of carbon has a length greater than a long dimension of a C 70 molecule.
8. The hybrid material of claim 1 wherein the fullerene molecules include at least one second single-walled nanotube.
9. The hybrid material of claim 8 wherein the second single-walled nanotube has a diameter in the range of from about 0.6 nm to about 0.8 nm.
10. The hybrid material of claim 9 wherein the first single-walled nanotube has a diameter in the range of from about 1.3 nm to about 1.5 nm.
11. The hybrid material of claim 1 wherein the fullerene molecules include at least one a metastable structure.
12. The hybrid material of claim 1 , wherein the first single-walled nanotube is a carbon nanotube or a boron-nitride nanotube.
13. The hybrid material of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the fullerene molecules is a metallofullerene.
14. The hybrid material of claim 13 , wherein the metallofullerene includes one or more transition metal elements.
15. The hybrid material of claim 14 , wherein the one or more transition metal elements includes lanthanum.
16. The hybrid material of claim 13 , wherein the metallofullerene includes La 2 @C 80 .
17. The hybrid material of claim 16 , wherein the La 2 @C 80 has a spheroidal shaped C 80 cage.
18. The hybrid material of claim 1 , wherein the fullerene molecules include a plurality of La 2 @C 80 .
19. A bulk material comprising single-walled nanotubes having lumens, wherein at least about 5% of the single-walled nanotubes contain a plurality of regularly spaced fullerene molecules within the lumen of the single-walled nanotube.
20. The bulk material of claim 19 wherein the single-walled nanotubes are arranged as a sheet of nanotubes.
21. The bulk material of claim 19 , wherein at least about 50% of the single-walled nanotubes contain a plurality of regularly spaced fullerene molecules within the lumen of the single-walled nanotube.
22. The bulk material of claim 21 , wherein at least about 80% of the single-walled nanotubes contain a plurality of regularly spaced fullerene molecules within the lumen of the single-walled nanotube.