Carbon Nanotubes: Electronic Interactions between “Pea” and “Pod”: The Case of Oligothiophenes Encapsulated in Carbon Nanotubes (Small 13/2011)

The cover image shows oligothiophene molecules with different lengths (4, 5, and 6 thiophene units) diffusing inside a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT). The encapsulation of a series of thiophene oligomers inside SWNTs is achieved through sublimation of the molecules at low pressure, giving rise to nanohybrids with tunable electronic structure and light emission in the visible range. The filling of the SWNTs is directly observed with aberration-corrected HRTEM, while time-dependent ACHRTEM images show the large mobility of the encapsulated molecules inside the SWNTs. The weak electronic interaction between the SWNTs and the oligothiophenes is apparent from optical spectroscopy and the elevated quantum yield. All findings are confi rmed by DFT calculations, which show how the electronic structure of the hybrid system depends on tube diameter and molecular length. For more information, please read the Full Paper “Electronic Interactions between ‘Pea’ and ‘Pod’: The Case of Oligothiophenes Encapsulated in Carbon Nanotubes” by E. Menna, C. Hébert, C. Ambrosch-Draxl, M. A. Loi, and co-workers, beginning on page 1807.