Boron Nitride Nanotube Peapods

Abstract

We demonstrate that boron nitride (BN) nanotubes can be filled “peapod” fashion with C60 molecules. Filling small‐diameter BN nanotubes results in a linear chain of C60 molecules in the interior, while filling large diameter BN nanotubes leads to nanorods of crystalline C60 in the interior. Electron beam damage can be used to fuse the encapsulated C60 molecules into carbon nanotubes, leading to carbon nanotubes encased within insulating BN nanotubes. BN nanotubes can also be synthesized with mobile magnetic nanocrystals within their core.