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Manipulation and Imaging of Individual Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes with an Atomic Force Microscope
Author(s) -
Postma H. W. C.,
Sellmeijer A.,
Dekker C.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/1521-4095(200009)12:17<1299::aid-adma1299>3.0.co;2-o
Subject(s) - carbon nanotube , materials science , nanotube , atomic force microscopy , mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes , nanotechnology , tapping , buckle , deformation (meteorology) , tube (container) , composite material , kelvin probe force microscope , acoustics , physics
The tip of an atomic force microscope is used to create carbon nanotube junctions by changing the position and shape of individual single‐walled carbon nanotubes on a SiO 2 surface. With this manipulation technique, we are able to bend, buckle, cross (see Figure), and break nanotubes, and to unravel a nanotube “crop circle” into a single tube. Tapping‐mode atomic force microscopy measurements of the height of a carbon nanotube on the surface always yield values smaller than the nanotube diameter. Variation of the scan parameters shows that this is due to a tapping deformation by the tip. The tapping deformation of manipulated nanotube crossings and buckles is discussed as well.