Synthesis and exploration of heteronanotubes

Abstract

By chemical vapor deposition of boron nitride nanotubes and MoS₂ nanotubes on the surface of single-walled carbon nanotubes, we have synthesized heteronanotubes, which are coaxial heterostructures of different types of nanotubes. This progress opens up the possibility of material design with a high degree of freedom for quasi-one-dimensional nanotubes. Such one-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures as well as two-dimensional counterparts have attracted large attention. They are expected to lead to the development of new physical properties and device applications specific to nanotube structures. This paper introduces the synthesis, structural characterization, physical properties, and applications of heteronanotubes.