Sensing mechanical deformation in carbon nanotubes by electrical response: a computational study

Alexei Svizhenko; Hatem Mehrez; Anat M. P. Anantram; Amitesh Maiti

doi:10.1117/12.571306

29 December 2004 Sensing mechanical deformation in carbon nanotubes by electrical response: a computational study

Alexei Svizhenko, Hatem Mehrez, Anat M. P. Anantram, Amitesh Maiti

Proceedings Volume 5593, Nanosensing: Materials and Devices; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.571306
Event: Optics East, 2004, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Abstract

Recent experimental advances have made carbon nanotubes promising material for utilizing as nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS). The key feature of CNT-based NEMS is the ability to drastically change electrical conductance due to a mechanical deformation. The deformation effects can be divided into two major groups: bond stretching of sp² coordinated nanotubes and transition from sp² to sp³ coordination. The purpose of this work is to review the change in electrical response of nanotubes to different types of mechanical deformation. The modeling consists of a combination of universal force-field molecular dynamics (UFF), density functional theory (DFT) and Green's function theory. We show that conductance of metallic carbon nanotubes can decrease by 2-3 orders of magnitude, when deformed by an AFM tip, but is insensitive to bending. These results can explain the experiment of Ref. [1]. Such a decrease is chirality dependent, being maximum for zigzag nanotubes. In contrast, twisting and radial deformation result in bandgap openning only in armchair nanotubes. In addition, radial deformation of armchair nanotubes leads to dramatic oscillations of conductance.

Citation Download Citation

Alexei Svizhenko, Hatem Mehrez, Anat M. P. Anantram, and Amitesh Maiti "Sensing mechanical deformation in carbon nanotubes by electrical response: a computational study", Proc. SPIE 5593, Nanosensing: Materials and Devices, (29 December 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.571306

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available