Filling single-wall carbon nanotubes with d- and f-metal chloride and metal nanowires.

Nanowires of magnetic metals (Fe, Co, Ho, Gd) have been synthesized inside the hollow interiors of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by filling SWNTs with precursor metal chlorides and subsequent reduction. SWNTs have been filled by either the melt-phase sealed-tube reaction or a solution-phase method. Among the metal chlorides investigated in this study, HoCl3 and GdCl3 filled the SWNTs to a significantly higher extent. The nanowires have been imaged by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy carried out in conjunction with TEM and STEM confirmed the presence of metal chloride and metal nanowires.