Unzipping of Functionalized Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes Induced by STM

• Published in: Nano letters Vol. 10; no. 5; pp. 1764 - 1768
• Main Authors: Paiva, M. Conceição, Xu, Wei, Fernanda Proença, M, Novais, Rui M, Lægsgaard, Erik, Besenbacher, Flemming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 12-05-2010
• Subjects: Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Crystallization - methods; Exact sciences and technology; Fullerenes and related materials; diamonds, graphite; Macromolecular Substances - chemistry; Materials science; Materials Testing; Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling - methods; Molecular Conformation; Nanocrystalline materials; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nanotechnology - methods; Nanotubes; Nanotubes, Carbon - chemistry; Nanotubes, Carbon - ultrastructure; Particle Size; Physics; Specific materials; Surface Properties; Carbon nanotube; cycloaddition reaction; scanning tunneling microscopy; graphene; Scanning tunneling microscopy; Multiwalled nanotube; Graphene; Carbon nanotubes; Ultrahigh vacuum; Nanostructured materials; Operating conditions
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/nl100240n

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), functionalized by a cycloaddition reaction, were studied by ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The STM images provided evidence for partial or total unzipping of the outer CNT layer. The formation of graphene ribbons was triggered by the STM tip, under specific operating conditions. A model for the unzipping is proposed, based on the perturbation of the π-conjugation along the CNT surface induced by the cycloaddition reaction.