Mapping the One-Dimensional Electronic States of Nanotube Peapod Structures

Abstract

Arrays of C ₆₀ molecules nested inside single-walled nanotubes represent a class of nanoscale materials having tunable properties. We report electronic measurements of this system made with a scanning tunneling microscope and demonstrate that the encapsulated C ₆₀ molecules modify the local electronic structure of the nanotube. Our measurements and calculations also show that a periodic array of C ₆₀ molecules gives rise to a hybrid electronic band, which derives its character from both the nanotube states and the C ₆₀ molecular orbitals.