Radial thermal expansion of pure and Xe-saturated bundles of single-walled carbon nanotubes at low temperatures

• The radial thermal expansion coefficient alphar of pure and Xe-saturated bundles of single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is measured in the interval 2.2–120 K. The coefficient is positive above T=5.5 K and negative at lower temperatures. The experiment was done using a low-temperature capacitance dilatometer with a sensitivity of 2×10−9 cm, and the sample was prepared by compacting a CNT powder in such a way that the pressure applied oriented the nanotube axes perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical sample. The data show that individual nanotubes have a negative thermal expansion, while the solid compacted material has a positive expansion coefficient due to expansion of the intertube volume in the bundles. Doping the nanotubes with Xe caused a sharp increase in the magnitude of alphar in the whole range of temperatures used and gave rise to a peak in the dependence alphar(T) in the interval 50–65 K. A subsequent decrease in the Xe concentration lowered the peak considerably but had little effect on the thermal expansion coefficient of the sample outside the region of the peak. The features revealed are explained qualitatively.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Den kondenserade materiens fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Condensed Matter Physics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Thermal expansion

low temperature

single-wall carbon nanotubes

bundles

Xe

Xe intercalation

radial thermal expansion

Raman analysis

gas adsorption

Condensed matter physics

Kondenserade materiens fysik

fysik

Physics

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