Confinement of selenium into carbon nanotubes

Filling of carbon nanotubes with metals or semi-metals (such as Se, Bi,...) raises the possibility of novel narromaterials synthesis with technologically interesting properties on a nanometric scale. Indeed it offers the possibility to enhance the physical properties of both the encapsulated and encapsulating materials. In the present study, multi-walled nanotubes, synthesized by thermic decomposition of propylene in alumina membrane and catalytic decomposition of acetylene on solid solution and single-walled nanotubes (from Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA) were filled with selenium, in order to study the influence of confinement on Se structure and the nanocomposite properties. The filling was performed in the vapor phase in a sealed reactor, and the control of selenium pressure allows us to control the nanotube filling rate, which depends also on the nanotube diameter. A filling rate up to 90% could be reached with this method.