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arXiv · 0709.0880

Shaping single walled nanotubes

Alberto Zobelli·Alexandre Gloter·Chris P. Ewels·Christian Colliex
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Abstract

We show that electron irradiation in a dedicated scanning transmission microscope can be used as a nano-electron-lithography technique allowing the controlled reshaping of single walled carbon and boron nitride nanotubes. The required irradiation conditions have been optimised on the basis of total knock-on cross sections calculated within density functional based methods. It is then possible to induce morphological modifications, such as a change of the tube chirality, by removing severals tens of atoms with a nanometrical spatial resolution. These irradiation techniques could open new opportunities for nano-engeneering a large variety of nanostructured materials.

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Alberto Zobelli, Alexandre Gloter, Chris P. Ewels, Christian Colliex. 2007-09-06. Shaping single walled nanotubes. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.77.045410

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