Xiaomin Tu

Evolution of DNA sequences toward recognition of metallic armchair carbon nanotubes.

The armchair carbon nanotube is an ideal system to study fundamental physics in one-dimensional metals and potentially a superb material for applications such as electrical power transmission. Synthesis and purification efforts to date have failed to produce a homogeneous population of such a material. Here we report evolutionary strategies to find DNA sequences for the recognition and subsequent purification of (6,6) and (7,7) armchair species from synthetic mixtures. The new sequences were derived by single-point scanning mutation and sequence motif variation of previously identified ones for semiconducting tubes. Optical absorption spectroscopy of the purified armchair tubes revealed well-resolved first- and second-order electronic transitions accompanied by prominent sideband features that have neither been predicted nor observed previously. Resonance Raman spectroscopy showed a single Lorentzian peak for the in-plane carbon-carbon stretching mode (G band) of the armchair tubes, repudiating the common practice of using such a line shape to infer the absence of metallic species. Our work demonstrates the exquisite sensitivity of DNA to nanotube metallicity and makes the long-anticipated pure armchair tubes available as seeds for their mass amplification.

Chiral Index Dependence of the G+ and G– Raman Modes in Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes

Raman spectroscopy on the radial breathing mode is a common tool to determine the diameter d or chiral indices (n,m) of single-wall carbon nanotubes. In this work we present an alternative technique to determine d and (n,m) based on the high-energy G(-) mode. From resonant Raman scattering experiments on 14 highly purified single chirality (n,m) samples we obtain the diameter, chiral angle, and family dependence of the G(-) and G(+) peak position. Considering theoretical predictions we discuss the origin of these dependences with respect to rehybridization of the carbon orbitals, confinement, and electron-electron interactions. The relative Raman intensities of the two peaks have a systematic chiral angle dependence in agreement with theories considering the symmetry of nanotubes and the associated phonons.

Violation of the Condon Approximation in Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes

The Condon approximation is widely applied in molecular and condensed matter spectroscopy and states that electronic transition dipoles are independent of nuclear positions. This approximation is related to the Franck-Condon principle, which in its simplest form holds that electronic transitions are instantaneous on the time scale of nuclear motion. The Condon approximation leads to a long-held assumption in Raman spectroscopy of carbon nanotubes: intensities arising from resonance with incident and scattered photons are equal. Direct testing of this assumption has not been possible due to the lack of homogeneous populations of specific carbon nanotube chiralities. Here, we present the first complete Raman excitation profiles (REPs) for the nanotube G band for 10 pure semiconducting chiralities. In contrast to expectations, a strong asymmetry is observed in the REPs for all chiralities, with the scattered resonance always appearing weaker than the incident resonance. The observed behavior results from violation of the Condon approximation and originates in changes in the electronic transition dipole due to nuclear motion (non-Condon effect), as confirmed by our quantum chemical calculations. The agreement of our calculations with the experimental REP asymmetries and observed trends in family dependence indicates the behavior is intrinsic.

Rod Hydrodynamics and Length Distributions of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes Using Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Because of their repetitive chemical structure, extreme rigidity, and the separability of populations with varying aspect ratio, SWCNTs are excellent candidates for use as model rodlike colloids. In this contribution, the sedimentation velocities of length and density sorted single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are compared to predictions from rod hydrodynamic theories of increasing complexity over a range of aspect ratios from <50 to >400. Independently measuring all contributions to the sedimentation velocity besides the shape factor, excellent agreement is found between the experimental findings and theoretical predictions for numerically calculated hydrodynamic radius values and for multiterm analytical expansion approximations; values for the hydrodynamic radii in these cases are additionally found to be consistent with the apparent hydrated particle radius determined independently by buoyancy measurements. Lastly, we utilize this equivalency to calculate the apparent distribution of nanotube lengths in each population from their sedimentation coefficient distribution without adjustable parameters, achieving excellent agreement with distributions from atomic force microscopy. The method developed herein provides an alternative for the ensemble measurement of SWCNT length distributions and others rodlike particles.