Collective radial breathing modes in homogeneous nanotube bundles

Abstract

We present a Raman study of the collective vibrations arising from the homogeneous bundling of single-walled carbon nanotubes and analyze the dependence of their vibrational coupling on the tube diameter using two systems, single-walled carbon nanotube coils and a monochiral carbon nanotube film. We report on two breathing-like modes for quasi-infinite bundles, compared to the single radial breathing mode characteristic for isolated tubes. The exciton-phonon coupling in these modes is probed with resonant Raman spectroscopy, revealing the same resonance energy for both breathing-like peaks. Our experimental findings align well with previously reported theoretical studies, demonstrating a 1/d scaling for all modes, as well as confirming the relative shift of the modes dependent on intertube interaction. These vibrations provide insight into the role of intertube lattice dynamics in two-dimensional THz-range phononic crystals.