Quasi-one-dimensional nanotubes and two-dimensional nanoribbons are two fundamental forms of nanostructures, and integrating them into a novel mixed low-dimensional nanomaterial is fascinating and challenging. We have synthesized a stable mixed low-dimensional nanomaterial consisting of MoS(2) inorganic nanoribbons encapsulated in carbon nanotubes (which we call nanoburritos). This route can be extended to the synthesis of nanoburritos composed of other ultranarrow transition-metal chalcogenide nanoribbons and carbon nanotubes. The widths of previously synthesized MoS(2) ribbons are greater than 50 nm, while the encapsulated MoS(2) nanoribbons have uniform widths down to 1-4 nm and layer numbers down to 1-3, depending on the nanotube diameter. The edges of the MoS(2) nanoribbons have been identified as zigzag-shaped using both high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and density functional theory calculations.

We report optical band gap modifications of single-walled carbon nanotubes upon C60 insertions by using photoluminescence and the corresponding excitation spectroscopy. The shifts in optical transition energies strongly depend on the tube diameter (dt) and the "2n + m" family type, which can be explained by the local strain and the hybridization between the nanotube states and the C60 molecular orbitals. The present results provide possible design rules for nanotube-based heterostructures having a specific type of electronic functionality.