Mechanical and electrical properties of multiwall nanotube under interlayer sliding

Abstract

We have successfully measured the sliding force for an interlayer of individual multiwall carbon nanotubes using a combination of a well-controlled electrical breakdown process and a manipulation process using a scanning electron microscope. A sliding force of ̃4 nN for an inner layer diameter of 5 nm is maintained constant during a sliding process. This result agrees well with the theoretical calculation. This agreement indicates that the layered structure exhibits ideal characteristics even after the electrical breakdown process. We have also proposed nanoscale variable resistors using the sliding mechanism of the interlayer of individual multiwall carbon nanotubes. The two-terminal resistance of the processed nanotube increases exponentially with the sliding distance under a low bias voltage and is proportional to the sliding distance under a high bias voltage. The variation of the resistance under the low bias voltage can be explained as a one dimensional localized system, with a characteristic localization length around 840 nm. On the contrary, the sliding nanotube acts as the diffusive conductor under a high bias voltage. © 2005 The Surface Science Society of Japan.