Abstract
Tunable Raman spectroscopy is used to measure the optical transition energies of individual single wall carbon nanotubes. is observed to shift down in energy by as much as 50 meV, from to 300 °C, in contrast with previous measurements performed on nanotubes in alternate environments, which show upshifts and downshifts in with temperature. We determine that electron-phonon coupling explains our experimental observations of nanotubes suspended in air, neglecting thermal expansion. In contrast, for nanotubes in surfactant or in bundles, thermal expansion of the nanotubes’ environment exerts a nonisotropic pressure on the nanotube that dominates over the effect of electron-phonon coupling.
- Received 2 August 2005
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.127403
©2006 American Physical Society