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Anisotropic Condensation of Helium in Nanotube Bundles

M. W. Cole, V. H. Crespi, G. Stan, J. M. Hartman, S. Moroni, M. Boninsegni

cond-mat.stat-mecharXiv:cond-mat/9908234

Abstract

Helium atoms are strongly attracted to the interstitial channels within a bundle of carbon nanotubes. The strong corrugation of the axial potential within a channel can produce a lattice gas system where the weak mutual attraction between atoms in neighboring channels of a bundle induces condensation into a remarkably anisotropic phase with very low binding energy. We estimate the binding energy and critical temperature for 4He in this novel quasi-one-dimensional condensed state. At low temperatures, the specific heat of the adsorbate phase (fewer than 2% of the total number of atoms) greatly exceeds that of the host material.

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