Thermal transfer in SWNTs and peapods under UV‐irradiation

Abstract

Results of UV irradiation experiments in vacuum on SWNTs and peapods, as followed by in-situ Raman spectroscopy with increasing laser power up to 300 mW are reported. UV micro-Raman measurements were used to record spectra free of black-body radiation. Photon absorption was found to induce both the shifting and broadening of the G + and G -bands. The local temperature increase (up to a temperature gain of ∼ 1000 K) was able to be reliably calculated from the band feature variation, more specifically considering the G + band. Meanwhile, a specific sensitivity to oxidation of the nanotubes from peapods was revealed, due the fullerene-catalysed dissociation of molecular oxygen traces into active species. In addition, both silica and diamond substrates were used. The different thermal conductivity of the substrates has the effect of changing the laser power levels needed to induce structural transformations. Carrying-out UV irradiation of nanotube-based material while monitoring the induced temperature via in situ Raman spectroscopy therefore appears as a new tool likely to be useful for the nano-engineering of nanotube-based devices.