Controllable Reversibility of ansp2tosp3Transition of a Single Wall Nanotube under the Manipulation of an AFM Tip: A Nanoscale Electromechanical Switch?

Abstract

A simulation of the deflection of a single wall nanotube under the manipulation of an atomic force microscope tip revealed the key feature characterizing the deformation at relatively small bending angles to be a reversible transition from $s{p}^2$ to $s{p}^3$ bonding configurations in the bending region, leading to a 2 orders of magnitude reduction in conductance consistent with our most recent experimental observation. A local analysis elucidating the underlying physics of the findings is also discussed.