Moir\'e-induced Vibrational Coupling in Double Walled Carbon Nanotubes

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that Moiré patterns in double walled carbon nanotubes induce shifts in vibrational modes, affecting their optical properties, and provides a model verified by resonant Raman scattering experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a model linking Moiré patterns to vibrational mode shifts in DWCNTs and verifies it through experimental Raman scattering data.

Findings

Radial breathing mode shifts up to 14 cm$^{-1}$

Optical transition energies shift up to 200 meV

Constructed a Kataura plot for DWCNTs

Abstract

Moir\'e patterns are additional, long-range periodicities in twisted crystalline bilayers. They are known to fundamentally change the electronic states of the layers, but similar effects on their mechanical and vibrational properties have not been discussed so far. Here we show that the Moir\'e potential shifts the radial breathing mode in double walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs). The change of frequency is expected to be proportional to the shift in optical transition energies, which are induced by the Moir\'e patterns. To verify our model we performed resonant Raman scattering on purified and sorted semiconducting DWCNTs. We find that the radial breathing mode shifts up to 14 cm$^{-1}$ higher in energy followed by optical transitions energies displacement up to 200 meV to lower energies, compared to the single-walled tubes. We show how to identify the strong coupling condition in DWCNTs from their phonon frequencies and construct a Kataura plot to aid their future experimental assignment.