2026-07-072026-07-07http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/21880We explore the ground state of a single hydrogen molecule within an interstitial channel (IC) of a bundle of carbon nanotubes. A previous (variational) study found that when many molecules are present, comprising a dense fluid, the nanotube lattice is slightly dilated, with a 1% relative increase of lattice constant. Although small, that dilation doubled the binding energy per molecule inside the ICs. Here, in the case of a single particle, the result is an even smaller dilation, localized near the particle, and a much smaller increase of the binding energy.Soft Condensed MatterMaterials Sciencetext