Raman spectroscopy of open-ended Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes under pressure: effect of the pressure transmitting medium

We performed high pressure Raman experiments on purified open-ended single wall carbon nanotubes using different pressure transmitting media (paraffin oil, argon and 4:1 methanol ethanol mixture) and two excitating wavelength (514.5 nm and 632.8 nm). We state that the behavior of the Raman spectrum under pressure is significantly dependent on the pressure transmitting medium. This result points out the relevance of the interactions between the medium and the nanotubes, at the origin of the disagreement between the phase transition sequences reported in literature. The comparaison of tangential modes profiles clearly shows that 4:1 methanol ethanol induces few strain on nanotubes in the opposite of what is observed for argon and paraffin oil pressure transmitting media. These observations are discussed in terms of intercalation and stress due to non hydrostatic conditions. (c) 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.