This is an experimental study of the superconductivity of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) - more specifically the CNTs studied is 0.4 nm diameter single-wall CNTs existing inside the channels of the AFI zeolite crystal, abbreviated as CNT@AFI - by probing the magnetization property of this CNT@AFI system. These human engineered 4-Angstrom CNTs, which is a nanoscale and low-dimensional material, are approaching the limit set by nature, and superconductivity in the CNTs in general is theoretically (microscopic or first-principles) both interesting and challenging. Hence, empirical studies are important in providing useful guiding information. The magnetization and specific-heat studies could provide convincing evidences supporting or critiquing the electrical transport results of th...[ Read more ]

This is an experimental study of the superconductivity of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) - more specifically the CNTs studied is 0.4 nm diameter single-wall CNTs existing inside the channels of the AFI zeolite crystal, abbreviated as CNT@AFI - by probing the magnetization property of this CNT@AFI system. These human engineered 4-Angstrom CNTs, which is a nanoscale and low-dimensional material, are approaching the limit set by nature, and superconductivity in the CNTs in general is theoretically (microscopic or first-principles) both interesting and challenging. Hence, empirical studies are important in providing useful guiding information. The magnetization and specific-heat studies could provide convincing evidences supporting or critiquing the electrical transport results of the CNT@AFI system. But probing the superconductivity in this system, as the superconducting signal is very small in a large background, is another challenge. Therefore the high-resolution calorimetry and magnetometry techniques detailed in this thesis are invaluable.

With improved method of fabrication to increase the CNTs content inside the channels of the AFI crystallites, the empirical results [Nanoscale 4, 21-41 (2012)] were markedly different from those published in 2001 [Science 292, 2462 (2001)]. The magnetization results of this thesis largely agree with the results from the electrical transport study [Phys. Rev. B 81, 174530 (2010)], but there is some result that raises doubt in the critical current interpretation there. Lastly, there is still some electrical transport result of this system that has not been explained convincingly and is of interest.