Assembly of cobalt phthalocyanine stacks inside carbon nanotubes

Assembly of cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) stacks inside carbon nanotubes is presented. CoPc consists of a planar carbon and nitrogen macrocycle with a single cobalt ion and the cobalt ion has a partially filled 3d-orbital which is magnetically active. The morphology of the sample used for NEXAFS measurements was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the results show that the nanotubes are mostly aggregated together in large bundles and are subsequently deposited lying predominantly parallel to the substrate surface. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micro-graphs of selected individual nanotubes show the encapsulation of CoPc. Purified carbon nanotubes were first oxidized in air at 400°C for 40 mm, that resulted in a weight loss of around 40%. This thermal treatment opens the nanotube caps and also partly removes amorphous carbon from the surface of the tubes.