| Chapter 1 gives an introduction to nanotube structure and composition, and is the only chapter which has discussion of nanotubes other than carbon and boron nitride nanotubes. After the introduction, this dissertation is divided into two main parts: studies on the synthesis and purification of nanotubes and studies on the properties of nanotubes, primarily through electron microscopy nanomanipulation studies. In part I, I outline the basic synthesis techniques used in nanotube science, and outline my contributions to this area. The most significant discussions here are on the synthesis of carbon double-wall nanotubes in chapter 2, and on the synthesis of boron nitride nanotubes in chapter 3. The chapter 4, I discuss the synthesis of other nanostructures, including nanococoons and nanotube peapods. In chapter 5, I outline some methods for purifying nanotubes, and their range of utility. In part II, I focus on the physical properties of nanotubes. In the first chapter of part II, chapter 6, I give an introduction and background on the known electrical and mechanical properties of nanotubes. Chapter 7 is an introduction to the techniques and equipment used for in situ studies inside electron microscopes, including a good description of the construction and operation of nanomanipulation stages. In chapter 8, I present my studies on the properties of carbon nanotubes, including the construction of a nanotube-based bearing. In chapter 9, I present studies on boron nitride nanotubes, including the discovery of field emission from these structures. In chapter 10, I present studies of electron holography of nanostructures. Here, I describe experiments on the holography of field-emitting carbon nanotubes, the use of a nanotube as a biprism for electron holography, and a brief study of the holography of nanotube peapods. There are two appendices: appendix A gives a list of commonly used acronyms, and appendix B gives a more detailed account of the holography analysis in chapter 10. |
