Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Fabrication, Densification, and Replica Molding of 3D Carbon Nanotube Microstructures
Published on: July 2, 2012
Elastic distortions of carbon nanotubes induced by chiral fullerene chains
1Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3PH, United Kingdom. Jamie.warner@materials.ox.ac.uk
Abstract:
We show that when Y@C82 metallofullerenes are inserted into single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with large diameters of 2 nm, the minimum energy configuration is a double-helix chiral structure extending over hundreds of nanometers. We demonstrate rotation of the double-helix fullerene chain within the nanotube host that induces real time elastic distortions of the nanotube in a crank-shaft manner. Molecular dynamics simulations, employing an atomic description of the confining SWNT and a reduced description of Y@C82, reproduce the key experimental observations.
Related Concept Videos
Conformations of Cyclohexane
The chair form is the most stable and derives its name from its resemblance to the “easy chair.” In the chair conformation, two carbon atoms are arranged out-of-plane — one above and one below, minimizing the torsional strain. In the chair form, the bond angle is very close to the ideal tetrahedral value,...
Conformations of Cycloalkanes
Chair Conformation of Cyclohexane
The hydrogen atoms linked to carbons are arranged in two different axial and equatorial orientations to achieve this staggered...
IR Frequency Region: Alkyne and Nitrile Stretching
Comparing the stretching vibrational frequency of C≡C triple bonds with that of double and single bonds, it is evident that C≡C triple bonds exhibit a higher stretching frequency than C=C double and C–C single bonds. Similarly, the C≡N triple bond exhibits higher stretching absorption than the C=N...
¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Temporal Resolution
Torsion of Noncircular Members

