Mechanics of multi walled carbon nanotubes probed by AFM

摘要

Using the AFM tip, nanotubes are caught on a raw sample then deposited on a clean surface with an absolute precision better than 500nm. A nanostructured surface made of smooth Germanium dots on flat silicon was used as deposition sample. Nanotube mechanics is probed by AFM tip induced displacement. Nanotubes are shown to be blocked by Ge dots: it is impossible to induce a controlled displacement of the nanotube over a Ge dot when it is pushed against the dot. Elastic energy due to the bending of the nanotube is at the root of that behavior.