Despite the result appearing contradictory at first, the team was ultimately able to explain the newly found interactions between the carbon chain and the nanotube.
“Although the chain and the nanotube are electronically isolated and therefore do not exchange electrons, they are subject to an unexpectedly strong coupling between the vibrations of the two nanostructures,” Parth, said.
The physicist explained that carbyne and the nanotube interact electronically while remaining electronically isolated at the same time. While it may seem like this kind of quantum mechanical coupling is usually negligible, it is remarkably strong in this situation, due to the chain’s intrinsic electronic properties and structural instability.