Coupled Optical Response of Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons and Single Wall Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Structures

abstract

Nanostructured hybrid materials with tailored properties are essential for advancing emerging technologies in optoelectronics and semiconductor applications. Through a combination of broad-spectrum Fourier transform spectroscopy (0.1-2.5 eV) and theoretical calculations, the characteristic optical bandgap of the hybrids composed by ultra-narrow armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNRs) encapsulated within single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is revealed. These hybrid structures are synthesized using a terrylene precursor followed by high-temperature treatments. The findings demonstrate that ribbon-host interactions significantly affect the optical response of the system, resulting in both a reduction and slight shift of the Eii excitations of the SWCNTs. Consistent across both experimental measurements and calculations, a bandgap below 0.1 eV is observed for the hybrid structure. Additionally, multiple vibrational peaks are identified in the mid-infrared spectrum attributable specifically to the encapsulated AGNRs, clearly distinguishable from any signals arising from the non-encapsulated terrylene precursor. This work provides critical insights into the electronic structure and optical properties of these hybrid nanomaterials, paving the way for their potential integration into next-generation optoelectronic devices.

keywords

CHAINS

subject category

Materials Science; Optics

authors

van der Gon, DD; Laranjeira, J; Milotti, V; Perner, LW; Benalcazar, J; Melle-Franco, M; Pichler, T; Heckl, OH; Ayala, P

Groups

G6 - Virtual Materials and Artificial Intelligence

Projects

CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDB/50011/2020)

Associated Laboratory CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (LA/P/0006/2020)

acknowledgements

D.D., J.B., V.M., and L.P. acknowledged the support from the University of Vienna via the Vienna Doctoral School of Physics. J.B. and P.A. acknowledged financial support by the Doctoral College Advanced Functional Materials-Hierarchical Design of Hybrid Systems DOC 85 doc.funds funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). P.A. acknowledged the COST Action EsSENce CA119, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). J.L. and M.M. gratefully acknowledged support within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020, UIDP/ 50011/2020, and LA/P/0006/2020, financed by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). The financial support by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs and the National Foundation for Research, Technology and Development, through the Christian Doppler Laboratory of Mid-IR Spectroscopy and Semiconductor Optics was gratefully acknowledged by D.D., L.P. and O.H. T.P., acknowledged funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (MORE-TEM ERC-SYN project, grant agreement No 951215).