Chirality Assignment of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Strain

Abstract

Strain‐induced band gap shifts that depend strongly on the chiral angle have been observed by optical spectroscopy in polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)‐ or Surfactin micelle‐wrapped single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Uniaxial and torsional strains are generated by changing the environment surrounding the SWCNTs, using the surrounding D2O ice temperature or the hydration state of a wrapping polymer. These methods can be used as diagnostic tools to determine the quantum number, q, and examine chiral vector indices for specific nanotube species.