Geometrical structure and electronic properties of atomically resolved multiwall carbon nanotubes

Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) are predicated to exhibit various electronic properties depending on their diameters and chiralities. The existence of multishells offers the possibility of switching between high and low conducting states within the same nanotube. So far, it has been a big challenge to probe the structure and the electronic properties of different MWNT shells. Here we report the nanostructure measurements of MWNT together with their electronic properties as revealed by a scanning tunneling microscope. The images show tubes with different chiralities (0°–30°) and diameters (4–9 nm). Upon thermal oxidation in air, we have observed diameter-dependent tube opening. MWNTs with large diameters (7–9 nm) show open ends while smaller diameters have closed ends. The structure of open end shows unsaturated bonds, which offers rich chemistry to develop molecular technology based on carbon nanotubes. Finally, we present the structure of the inner shells of MWNT.

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