Determination of the Thermal Expansion Coefficient of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes by Raman Spectroscopy

We have examined the effect of high temperature on single-wall carbon nanotubes under air and nitrogen ambient by Raman spectroscopy. We observe the temperature dependence of the radial breathing mode and the G-band modes. The thermal expansion coefficient (β) of the bundled nanotubes is obtained experimentally using the estimated volume from Raman scattering. β behaves linearly with temperature from 0.33 × 10^?5 K^?1 to 0.28 × 10^?5 K^?1 in air and from 0.58 × 10^?5 K^?1 to 0.47 × 10^?5 K^?1 in nitrogen ambient, respectively. The temperature dependence of the radial breathing mode Raman frequencies is consistent with a pure temperature effect.