Photoluminescence Imaging of Suspended Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

• Published in: Nano letters Vol. 6; no. 8; pp. 1603 - 1608
• Main Authors: Lefebvre, Jacques, Austing, David G, Bond, Jeffery, Finnie, Paul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01.08.2006
• Subjects: Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electron and ion emission by liquids and solids; impact phenomena; Exact sciences and technology; Field emission, ionization, evaporation, and desorption; Light; Luminescent Measurements - methods; Materials science; Materials Testing - methods; Microscopy, Fluorescence - methods; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nanotechnology - methods; Nanotubes; Nanotubes, Carbon - analysis; Nanotubes, Carbon - chemistry; Nanotubes, Carbon - radiation effects; Nanotubes, Carbon - ultrastructure; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Photoluminescence; Physics; Spectrometry, Fluorescence - methods; Near infrared radiation; Singlewalled nanotube; Near infrared spectrum; Photoluminescence; Far field; Field emission; Infrared spectra; Quantum yield; Spatial resolution
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/nl060530e

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) suspended in air over trenches are imaged using their intrinsic near-infrared (NIR) photoluminescence (1.0−1.6 μm). Far-field emission from extended suspended lengths (∼50 μm) is both spatially and spectrally resolved, and SWNTs are classified based on the spatial uniformity of their emission intensity and emission wavelength. In a few cases, emission assigned to different (n,m) species is observed along the same suspended segment. Most SWNTs imaged on millisecond time scales show steady emission, but a few fluctuate and suffer a reduction of intensity. The quantum efficiency is dramatically higher than that in previous reports and is estimated at 7%, a value that is precise but subject to corrections because of assumptions about absorption and coherence.