Letter abstract
Nature Nanotechnology 1, 36 - 41 (2006)
Published online: 4 October 2006 | doi:10.1038/nnano.2006.57
Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Electronic properties and devices | Structural properties
Torsional electromechanical quantum oscillations in carbon nanotubes
Tzahi Cohen-Karni1,3, Lior Segev1,3, Onit Srur-Lavi1,3, Sidney R. Cohen2 & Ernesto Joselevich1
Abstract
Carbon nanotubes1, 2 can be distinctly metallic or semiconducting depending on their diameter and chirality3. Here we show that continuously varying the chirality by mechanical torsion4 can induce conductance oscillations, which can be attributed to metal–semiconductor periodic transitions. The phenomenon is observed in multiwalled carbon nanotubes, where both the torque5 and the current are shown to be carried predominantly by the outermost wall6, 7. The oscillation period with torsion is consistent with the theoretical shifting8 of the corners of the first Brillouin zone of graphene across different sub-bands allowed in the nanotube. Beyond a critical torsion, the conductance irreversibly drops due to torsional failure, allowing us to determine the torsional strength of carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes could be ideal torsional springs for nanoscopic pendulums4, 9, 10, because electromechanical detection of motion could replace the microscopic detection techniques used at present. Our experiments indicate that carbon nanotubes could be used as electronic sensors of torsional motion in nanoelectromechanical systems11.
- Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
- Chemical Research Support, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
- These authors contributed equally to this work
Correspondence to: Ernesto Joselevich1 e-mail: ernesto.joselevich@weizmann.ac.il
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Carbon nanotubes Bandgap engineering with strainNature Materials News and Views (01 Jul 2003)
Molecular Nanostructures Carbon aheadNature Materials News and Views (01 May 2007)
See all 3 matches for News And ViewsRESEARCH
Electromechanical response of single-walled carbon nanotubes to torsional strain in a self-contained deviceNature Nanotechnology Letter (01 Jul 2007)
High-κ dielectrics for advanced carbon-nanotube transistors and logic gatesNature Materials Article (01 Dec 2002)
See all 24 matches for Research
