title: Electron energy loss spectroscopy measurement of the optical gaps on individual boron nitride single-walled and multiwalled nanotubes.
abstract: Spatially resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy experiments have been performed in an electron microscope on several individual boron nitride (BN) single-, double-, and triple-walled nanotubes, whose diameters and number of shells have been carefully measured. In the low-loss region (from 2 to 50 eV) the spectra have been analyzed within the framework of the continuum dielectric theory, leading to the conclusion of a weak influence of out-of-plane contribution to the dielectric response of the tubes. The gap has been measured to be independent of the nanotubes geometry, and close to the in-plane gap value of hexagonal BN (5.8+/-0.2 eV).
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Etude des Microstructures, UMR 104 ONERA-CNRS, ONERA B P72, 92322 Châtillon Cedex, France.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arenal
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Stéphan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kociak
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Taverna
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loiseau
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colliex