Controlled isotope arrangement in 13C enriched carbon nanotubes

TL;DR

This paper reports the synthesis of a novel isotope-engineered carbon nanotube structure with embedded $^{13}{ m C}$ clusters, characterized by Raman spectroscopy, and discusses potential applications in quantum information processing.

Contribution

It introduces a new method to create heteronuclear $^{13}{ m C}$-$^{12}{ m C}$ nanotubes with embedded isotope clusters, verified by Raman analysis.

Findings

$^{13}{ m C}$ clusters are not uniformly distributed

Raman data supports presence of isotope-rich clusters

Material has potential for quantum information applications

Abstract

We report the synthesis of a novel isotope engineered $^{13}{\rm C}$--$^{12}{\rm C}$ heteronuclear nanostructure: single-wall carbon nanotubes made of $^{13}{\rm C}$ enriched clusters which are embedded in natural carbon regions. The material is synthesized with a high temperature annealing from $^{13}{\rm C}$ enriched benzene and natural ${\rm C}_{60}$, which are co-encapsulated inside host SWCNTs in an alternating fashion. The Raman 2D line indicates that the $^{13}{\rm C}$ isotopes are not distributed uniformly in the inner tubes. A semi-empirical method based modeling of the Raman modes under $^{13}{\rm C}$ isotope enrichment shows that experimental data is compatible with the presence of $^{13}{\rm C}$ rich clusters which are embedded in a natural carbon containing matrix. This material may find applications in quantum information processing and storage using nuclear spins as qubits.