Abstract

Carbon nanotubes have high strength, conductivity and chemical stability that can be harnessed in a range of applications. Their hollow cylindrical topology allows their use as nanoscale test tubes and nano-reactors. I will show how to entrap and study chemical reactions of individual molecules in nanotubes triggered and controlled by heat, light or electron beam. Molecular reactions in nanotubes often deliver products inaccessible by other means, such as nanoribbons of graphene or unusual polymers, or enable improvements of important reactions, such as hydrogenation or halogenationation. When loaded with metal nanoparticles, nanotubes exhibit remarkable catalytic properties that can be exploited in many reactions, including electrocatalysis in fuel cells, outperforming traditional catalysts by selectivity and durability. All this becomes possible due to the principles of nanoscale confinement of molecules in carbon nanotubes.