news & views GRAPHENE NANORIBBONS Twisted within nanotubes Single-walled carbon nanotubes have been used as test tubes for chemical reactions in an electron microscope. It is now shown that they can also act as reactors for the synthesis of narrow, helically twisted graphene nanoribbons through electron irradiation of functionalized fullerenes. Florian Banhart arbon nanotubes can in principle a encapsulate almost anything that is 1 Csmall enough, be it liquid or solid 1 nm metals, inorganic materials and, more 2 recently, organic molecules . Interestingly, b fullerene molecules fit precisely into a common type of single-walled carbon nanotube3 — thus forming so-called ‘pea pods’. However, filling carbon nanotubes 1 nm with graphene — nowadays the most- studied carbon structure — has seemed to be out of the question. Although a sufficiently narrow graphene nanoribbon Figure 1 | Synthesis of a graphene nanoribbon within a carbon nanotube. Schemes are shown on the left could fit into a single-walled carbon and transmission electron micrographs on the right. a, Fullerenes functionalized with an organic molecule nanotube, cutting currently available containing the elements H, O, N and S have exceptional affinity for the interior of the nanotube, therefore nanoribbons to the necessary width — forming so-called ‘pea pods’. Images reproduced from ref. 4. b, By way of prolonged exposure to an about three hexagonal carbon rings — and electron beam or heat treatment, the functionalized fullerenes transform into a stable, helically twisted fitting them inside nanotubes is far from graphene ribbon with sulphur atoms (yellow) at the edges. Left image courtesy of A. Khlobystov; right feasible. Surprisingly, however, the synthesis image reproduced from ref. 4. of a graphene nanoribbon within a carbon nanotube is possible by adopting a different the narrowest possible graphene ribbons edge, in particular ionic repulsion, could route. Reporting in Nature Materials, that are stable. In fact, this is another also induce twist, even if a graphene ribbon Andrei Khlobystov and co-authors show impressive example of the potential of is not encapsulated8. On the other hand, that carbon nanotubes can be used as carbon nanotubes as reaction vessels for the the growth of enclosed twisted structures reactors to synthesize graphene nanoribbons synthesis of novel and otherwise unstable could be adjusted by the inherent helicity from functionalized fullerenes4. structures2,5. Unfortunately, details of the of nanotubes if they are not of the perfect Khlobystov and colleagues linked rapid transformation were not accessible to zigzag or armchair types. fullerenes to organic chains terminated by in situ observation in the microscope. This The nanoribbon-in-the-nanotube sulphur atoms. In a chloroform solution, remains a challenge and could possibly be system may find unexpected properties and these functionalized fullerenes can enter the tackled by high-speed electron microscopy6, applications. Theory predicts that the edges hollow channel of open single-walled carbon if the reaction could be triggered by of graphene nanoribbons strongly influence nanotubes to create ‘pea pods’ (Fig. 1a). The laser pulses. the ribbon’s electrical properties. In fact, authors transferred the filled nanotubes into As is clearly visible in the micrograph some of the less favourable properties of an electron microscope and irradiated them in Fig. 1b, the nanoribbon twists around graphene, such as its missing bandgap, can with electrons. They observed considerable the long axis of the tube. The spiral-shaped be overcome by cutting graphene sheets structural transformations of the ribbon is probably a consequence of the in ribbons. Interestingly, the helical twist encapsulated molecules, leading eventually ribbon’s width exceeding the tube’s diameter, modifies the bandgap, as the calculations to the formation of graphene ribbons with as the calculations by Khlobystov and of Khlobystov and co-authors show4. side bonds saturated with sulphur atoms colleagues show. However, twisting is not Also, changes to the helical angle under (Fig. 1b). Graphene ribbons with open side the only mechanism by which the ribbon deformation may lead to an electromechanic bonds are known to be very reactive and fits into the tube. The authors also observed response of the system that could be used in unstable energetically, and therefore it is that the cross-section of the tube locally switches, sensors or piezoelectric elements8. quite natural that the edges are saturated expands in the plane of the nanoribbon as Moreover, large-scale synthesis could be with other atoms. The most common the nanoribbon rotates. Of course, helically achieved by heating, as it apparently leads edge species is hydrogen, but hydrogen coiled structures inside carbon nanotubes to the same reaction as electron irradiation. is certainly unstable under electron have been previously observed7, and various Although Khlobystov and colleagues have bombardment. Sulphur atoms are difficult origins of twist in nanotube-enclosed shown only nanoribbons of less than 30 nm to remove with an electron beam and lend structures have been suggested, such as in length, there seems to be no impediment themselves as a more stable side termination. intercalation or entropic effects arising from to the synthesis of longer twisted graphene These sulphur-terminated carbon strips inclusions or confinement, respectively, but ribbons with several turns. However, this might be the narrowest graphene ribbons these are probably not relevant to graphene would need a very careful process with a that have ever been made, and perhaps even nanoribbons. However, the chemistry at the well-defined nucleation point from where NATURE MATERIALS | VOL 10 | SEPTEMBER 2011 | www.nature.com/naturematerials 651 © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved news & views the twisting ribbon grows. Furthermore, a nanoribbons would remain stable. In any References variety of related reactions in nanotubes can case, though, helically deformed carbon 1. Ajayan, P. M. & Iijima, S. Nature 361, 333–334 (1993). 2. Liu, Z. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 088304 (2006). be imagined, provided that efficient uptake nanomaterials are no longer a chimera. ❐ 3. Smith, B. W., Monthioux, M. & Luzzi, D. E. Nature of precursors and a sufficient mobility inside 396, 323–324 (1998). Florian Banhart is at the Institut de Physique 4. Chuvilin, A. et al. Nature Mater. 10, 687–692 (2011). the tubes can be achieved (at present this 5. Warner, J. H. et al. ACS Nano 5, 1410–1417 (2011). seems to require the presence of fullerene et Chimie des Matériaux, UMR7504 CNRS, 6. Shorokhov, D. & Zewail, A. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. cages). It also remains to be seen whether Université de Strasbourg, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 10, 2869–3016 (2008). 7. Fan, X. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 4621–4624 (2000). the nanotube–nanoribbon system can be Strasbourg, France. 8. Gunlycke, D., Li, J., Mintmire, J. W. & White, C. T. Nano Lett. dismantled, and if the unconfined graphene e-mail: [email protected] 10, 3638–3642 (2010). METALLIC ALLOYS All particles are equal The coarsening mechanism, by which larger droplets in a solid-state matrix consume smaller ones, can effectively be reversed in the case of core–shell precipitates, leading to a nearly monodisperse droplet size distribution. Jeffrey J. Hoyt ince the discovery of coarsening by the graduate students in materials science. A finely dispersed distribution of Nobel-prize-winning chemist Ostwald Now, however, writing in Nature Materials3, second-phase precipitates is a very effective Smore than 100 years ago and the Radmilovic et al. report that in the obstacle to the flow of dislocations through subsequent theoretical analysis by Lifshitz, aluminium–scandium–lithium system they an alloy, which as a result resists plastic Slyozov and Wagner1,2 50 years ago, it has study, not only is coarsening quite sluggish, deformation. Precipitation hardening is in been believed that in a system consisting but it seems to happen in reverse, with fact the main strengthening mechanism of second-phase droplets immersed in a the smaller particles in the distribution in a host of commercial aluminium alloys. supersaturated matrix, the average droplet growing faster than the larger ones. The There is a catch, however. If the coarsening size increases and the total droplet number authors have successfully explained why process is allowed to continue for too long, density decreases over time. Indeed, this unique alloy microstructure seems the distance between precipitates becomes the idea that larger particles grow at the to defy our textbook understanding of large and the barrier to plastic deformation expense of smaller ones is familiar to most particle coarsening. is diminished, a phenomenon known as ‘overaging’. It would therefore be very desirable to identify mechanisms that can hinder the natural tendency to coarsen, yet Core–shell maintain a narrow particle size distribution. dR precipitates dt This may lead to the development of new alloys capable of retaining desirable Conc. mechanical properties at high temperatures. Flux 2 nm The alloy studied by Radmilovic and r colleagues3 is aluminium with the addition of roughly 8.5% lithium and a smaller 0 amount (0.11%) of scandium. A heat R treatment at 450 °C leads to homogeneous Critical size nucleation of the ordered Al3Sc phase (with a small amount of lithium) throughout the Conc. bulk, aluminium-rich matrix. A second