From Nano-Peapods through DWNTs to Elongated Tori

The encapsulation of fullerene cages inside single-walled nanotubes SWNT can be performed very efficiently in both vapor phase and in solution. In the inner space of SWNT, zero dimensional molecules, like C60, are ordered in one-dimensional arrays. Such structures are called nanopeapods. Annealing peapods over 800oC, results in double-walled carbon nanotubes DWNT. We propose that controlled irradiation at the tip of nano-peapods could initiate the fusion between the inner and parent nanotube, resulting a torus.1