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Download filePolaritonic Enhancement of Near-Field Scattering of Small Molecules Encapsulated in Boron Nitride Nanotubes: Chemical Reactions in Confined Spaces
journal contribution
posted on 2021-04-22, 20:29 authored by Dániel Datz, Gergely Németh, Kate E. Walker, Graham A. Rance, Áron Pekker, Andrei N. Khlobystov, Katalin KamarásNanotubes have been
extensively utilized as nanocontainers for
molecules and as nanoreactors for chemical reactions in confinement,
with the potential for applications in hydrogen storage and catalysis.
We show that phonon polaritons of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs)
enhance the near-field vibrational spectra of molecules in close proximity
to the surface. By encapsulating C60 fullerene in BNNTs,
we reach a sensitivity level of a few hundred molecules. Furthermore,
we show by the photopolymerization of C60 that products
of chemical reactions inside the tubes can be identified, so long
as their vibrational signatures lie in the reststrahlen band of the
BNNT.