Photolysis-Driven, Room Temperature Filling of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes.

An alternative process for opening and filling single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) based on UV photolysis is proposed. The filling of SWCNTs with MoCl5 and iodine were successfully achieved at room temperature after subjecting SWCNTs with MoCl5 or I₂ dissolved in chloroform to UV light for 6 hours. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) were used to characterise both the encapsulated materials and the host tube. A mechanism for the related opening and filling events is proposed, along with a possible yet unprecedented structure for the encapsulated MoCl5 material whose the peculiar polymeric configuration could be enforced by the steric constrains resulting from the limited, 1D cavity available in SWCNT core.