Our collaborative research on double-walled nanotube phonon publised in Physical Review Letters

Strongly Hybridized Phonons in One-Dimensional van der Waals Crystals

We have made an exciting breakthrough in understanding how atoms vibrate in double-walled carbon nanotubes - tiny, tube-shaped structures made of carbon atoms. These nanotubes are like Russian nesting dolls, with one tube inside another, but at the atomic scale.

We discovered a new way that these nanotubes can vibrate, which is different from anything seen before in similar materials. We found that the inner and outer tubes can vibrate together in a coordinated way, creating unique patterns of movement. This discovery is particularly interesting because it affects how electrons move through the nanotubes, which could be important for future technologies.

Using advanced experimental techniques and computer simulations, we showed that these special vibrations happen when the inner and outer tubes move in a synchronized way, creating a new type of atomic motion that’s evenly spread across both tubes.

To learn more about these fascinating findings and their potential applications, read the full paper: Strongly Hybridized Phonons in One-Dimensional van der Waals Crystals