Significant electron-phonon coupling in nanographene confined in single-walled carbon nanotubes due to the large amplitude of radial breathinglike vibrations

One-dimensional (1D) van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) exhibit many properties, but many of these are difficult to understand because of their complicated structures and host-guest couplings that remain challenging to understand. Here, we observe a significant electron-phonon coupling (EPC) in 1D armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNRs) confined in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) via resonance Raman spectroscopy combined with theoretical calculation. A strong coupling between radial breathinglike mode (RBLM) phonons and the host nanotubes occurs due to the large vibration amplitude of RBLMs of the guest AGNRs. This results in unique deformation potential interactions in the heterostructure, contributing to the observed EPC enhancement. The EPC could be further modulated and strengthened by high pressure through tuning the RBLM-nanotube interactions. In this paper, we discover a mechanism governing the EPC in vdWHs and pave the way for manipulating the host-guest EPC for further control of the physical properties and potential device applications.