Pointwise plucking of suspended carbon nanotubes.

Luo, Jun; Ouyang, Wengen; Li, Xiaopei; Jin, Zhong; Yang, Leijing; Chen, Changqing; Zhang, Jin; Li, Yan et al. · Nano Lett · 2012

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Vibration of nanotubes/wires is significant for fundamental and applied researches. However, it remains challenging to control the vibration with point-level precision. Herein, individual suspended carbon nanotubes are plucked point by point to vibrate in scanning electron microscope with the electron beam as a nanoscale pointer. The vibration is directly imaged, and its images fit well with simulations from the plucking mechanism. This demonstrates a new way to manipulate the nanotube vibration with unprecedented precision.