A. G. Souza Filho

RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY ON ISOLATED SINGLE WALL CARBON NANOTUBES

A review is presented on the resonance Raman spectra from one isolated single wall carbon nanotube. The reasons why it is possible to observe the spectrum from only one nanotube are given and the important structural information that is provided by single nanotube spectroscopy is discussed. Emphasis is given to the new physics revealed by the various phonon features found in the single nanotube spectra and their connection to spectra observed for single wall nanotube bundles. The implications of this work on single wall carbon nanotube research generally are also indicated.

Characterizing carbon nanotube samples with resonance Raman scattering

The basic concepts and characteristics of Raman spectra from carbon nanotubes (both isolated and bundled) are presented. The general characteristics of the radial breathing mode, tangential mode (G band), disorder-induced mode (D-band) and other Raman features are presented, with the focus directed toward their use for carbon nanotube characterization. Polarization analysis, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and complementary optical techniques are also discussed in terms of their advantages and limitations.

Defect characterization in graphene and carbon nanotubes using Raman spectroscopy

This review discusses advances that have been made in the study of defect-induced double-resonance processes in nanographite, graphene and carbon nanotubes, mostly coming from combining Raman spectroscopic experiments with microscopy studies and from the development of new theoretical models. The disorder-induced peak frequencies and intensities are discussed, with particular emphasis given to how the disorder-induced features evolve with increasing amounts of disorder. We address here two systems, ion-bombarded graphene and nanographite, where disorder is represented by point defects and boundaries, respectively. Raman spectroscopy is used to study the ‘atomic structure’ of the defect, making it possible, for example, to distinguish between zigzag and armchair edges, based on selection rules of phonon scattering. Finally, a different concept is discussed, involving the effect that defects have on the lineshape of Raman-allowed peaks, owing to local electron and phonon energy renormalization. Such effects can be observed by near-field optical measurements on the G′ feature for doped single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Double resonance Raman spectroscopy of single-wall carbon nanotubes

A review of double resonance Raman spectroscopy is presented. Non-zone centre phonon modes in solids can be observed in the double resonance Raman spectra, in which weak Raman signals appear in a wide frequency region and their combination or overtone modes can be assigned. By changing the excitation laser energy, we can derive the phonon dispersion relations of a single nanotube.

Nanowires and nanotubes

Nanowires and nanotubes are now at the forefront of materials science at the nanoscale. This article starts with introductory comments about nanowires and nanotubes and then addresses in more detail the special structure and properties of bismuth nanowires and carbon nanotubes, which are considered as prototype examples of nanowires and nanotubes. Both nano-materials are important for the new nanoscience concepts that they introduce and for their promise for practical applications. Both provide a system that is simple enough so that detailed calculations of their properties can be carried out, and predictions about their physical behavior can be made. The occurrence and control of unusual and unique properties of specific nanostructures are the drivers for the exploitation of nanoscience in nanotechnology applications.

Optical properties of Sm3+ doped lead fluoroborate glasses

We present a study of emission, absorption and vibrational properties of Sm3+ doped lead fluoroborate glasses (PbO–PbF2–B2O3–Sm2O3) as a function of the Sm3+ content. Changes in the position and the intensity parameters of the transitions are closely related to structural changes in the glass network. A Judd–Ofelt scheme was used to estimate the intensity parameters Ωλ and radiative properties for Sm3+ in the glass. The behaviour of Ω2 and Ω6 parameters suggested a decrease in the asymmetry degree of the local ligand field at Sm3+ sites and an increase in the covalency of Sm–O bond, respectively. This hypothesis was verified by analysing the structural role of Sm2O3 through Raman and infrared spectroscopy measurements.

Raman spectroscopy for probing chemically/physically induced phenomena in carbon nanotubes

The use of recent advances in resonance Raman spectroscopy studies on isolated carbon nanotubes and the scientific knowledge achieved so far from these studies is discussed in the context of advancing carbon nanotube-based technology. Changes in the Raman spectra can be used to probe and monitor structural modifications of the nanotube sidewalls that come from the introduction of defects and the attachment of different chemical species. The former effect can be probed through the analysis of the disorder-induced Raman modes and the latter through the upshifts/downshifts observed in the various Raman modes due to charge transfer effects.

Structural properties of CaCu3Ti4O12 obtained by mechanical alloying

Mechanical alloying has been used successfully to produce nanocrystalline powders of CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO), for the first time, using two different experimental procedures. The milled CCTO were studied by X-ray powder diffraction, infrared and Raman scattering spectroscopy. For two different milling procedures, CCTO was obtained after a couple of hours of milling (in average 30 h of milling, depending on the reaction procedure). The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicate that the crystallite size is within the range of 20 � /35 nm. After 100 h of milling the formation of CCTO was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction in both procedures, with good stability. We also prepare the CCTO ceramic using the traditional procedure described in the literature and compared the physical properties of these samples with those ones obtained by milling process and good agreement was observed. The infrared and Raman scattering spectroscopy results suggest that the increase of the milling time leads to the formation of nanocrystalline CCTO, as seen by XRD analysis. These materials are attractive for capacitor applications and certainly for microelectronics, microwav ed evices (cell mobile phones for example), where the decrease of the size of the devices are crucial. This milling process presents the advantage that melting is not necessary and the powder obtained is nanocrystalline with extraordinary mechanical properties. The material can be compacted and transformed in solid ceramic samples or used in others procedures of film preparation. The high efficiency of the process opens a way to produce commercial amount of nanocrystalline powders. Due to the nanocrystalline character of this powder, their mechanical properties have changed and for this reason a pressure of 1 GPa is enough to shape the sample into any geometry. # 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Raman spectroscopy on one isolated carbon nanotube

The use of Raman spectroscopy to elucidate the vibrational and electronic structure of single wall carbon nanotubes is reviewed. The special role played by single nanotube spectroscopy in the (n,m) structural characterization of individual nanotubes and in the elucidation of the spectra of nanotube bundles is emphasized.

Dispersive Raman spectra observed in graphite and single wall carbon nanotubes

The disorder-induced D-band and some other non-zone center Raman modes of graphite and single wall carbon nanotubes are assigned to phonon modes in their respective Brillouin zones. In disordered graphite, the weak, dispersive phonon modes, which have been known but never assigned so far, are well described by the double resonance Raman process. All weak Raman peaks observed for sp2 carbons are useful for determining the phonon dispersion relations of graphite. In carbon nanotubes, all semiconducting nanotubes and some metallic nanotubes have van Hove singular k points for their electronic and phonon energy dispersion curves at the Γ point of the Brillouin zone. A corresponding Raman process is relevant to explain the observed D-band and intermediate frequency spectra.