Van Hove singularities (VHSs) are a hallmark of reduced dimensionality, leading to a divergent density of states in one and two dimensions and predictions of new electronic properties when the Fermi energy is close to these divergences. In carbon nanotubes, VHSs mark the onset of new subbands. They are elusive in standard electronic transport characterization measurements because they do not typically appear as notable features and therefore their effect on the nanotube conductance is largely unexplored. Here we report conductance measurements of carbon nanotubes where VHSs are clearly revealed by interference patterns of the electronic wave functions, showing both a sharp increase of quantum capacitance, and a sharp reduction of energy level spacing, consistent with an upsurge of density of states. At VHSs, we also measure an anomalous increase of conductance below a temperature of about 30 K. We argue that this transport feature is consistent with the formation of Cooper pairs in the nanotube.
Polymer composites containing nanocarbon fillers are under intensive investigation worldwide due to their remarkable electromagnetic properties distinguished not only by components as such, but the distribution and interaction of the fillers inside the polymer matrix. The theory herein reveals that a particular effect connected with the homogeneity of a composite manifests itself in the terahertz range. Transmission time-domain terahertz spectroscopy was applied to the investigation of nanocomposites obtained by co-extrusion of PLA polymer with additions of graphene nanoplatelets and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The THz peak of permittivity's imaginary part predicted by the applied model was experimentally shown for GNP-containing composites both below and above the percolation threshold. The physical nature of the peak was explained by the impact on filler particles excluded from the percolation network due to the peculiarities of filler distribution. Terahertz spectroscopy as a versatile instrument of filler distribution diagnostics is discussed.