A combination of ab initio simulations and linear-scaling Green's functions techniques is used to analyze the transport properties of long (up to one micron) carbon nanotubes with realistic disorder. The energetics and the influence of single defects (mono- and di-vacancies) on the electronic and transport properties of single-walled armchair carbon nanotubes are analyzed as a function of the tube diameter by means of the local orbital first-principles Fireball code. Efficient O(N) Green's functions techniques framed within the Landauer-Buttiker formalism allow a statistical study of the nanotube conductance averaged over a large sample of defected tubes and thus extraction of the nanotubes localization length. Both the cases of zero and room temperature are addressed.
We combine ab initio density functional theory with transport calculations to provide a microscopic basis for distinguishing between good and poor metal contacts to nanotubes. Comparing Ti and Pd as examples of different contact metals, we trace back the observed superiority of Pd to the nature of the metal-nanotube hybridization. Based on large scale Landauer transport calculations, we suggest that the `optimum' metal-nanotube contact combines a weak hybridization with a large contact length between the metal and the nanotube.
An ab initio calculations have been carried out for examining the curvature effect of small diameter hexagonal boron nanotubes. The considered conformations of boron nanotubes are namely armchair (3,3), zigzag (5,0) and chiral (4,2), and consist of 12, 20, and 56 atoms, respectively. The strain energy is evaluated in order to examine the curvature effect. It is found that the strain energy of hexagonal BNT strongly depends upon the radius, whereas the strain energy of triangular BNTs depends on both radius and chirality.
The dependence of the energy of interwall interaction in double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNT) on the relative position of walls has been calculated using the density functional method. This dependence is used to evaluate forces that are necessary for the relative telescopic motion of walls and to calculate the shear strength of DWNT for the relative sliding of walls along the nanotube axis and for their relative rotation about this axis. The possibility of experimental verification of the obtained results is discussed.
Combining time-dependent density functional calculations for electrons with molecular dynamics simulations for ions, we investigate the dynamics of excited carriers in a (3,3) carbon nanotube at different temperatures. Following an hv=6.8 eV photoexcitation, the carrier decay is initially dominated by efficient electron-electron scattering. At room temperature, the excitation gap is reduced to nearly half its initial value after ~230 fs, where coupling to phonons starts dominating the decay. We show that the onset point and damping rate in the phonon regime change with initial ion velocities, …
We present an ab initio study of spin dependent transport in armchair carbon nanotubes with transition metal adsorbates, iron or vanadium. We neglect the effect of tube curvature and model the nanotube by graphene with periodic boundary conditions. A density functional theory based nonequilibrium Green's function method is used to compute the electronic structure and zero-bias conductance. The presence of the adsorbate causes a strong scattering of electrons of one spin type only. The scattering is shown to be due to coupling of the two armchair band states to the metal 3d orbitals with matchi…
In carbon nanotubes, the most abundant defects, caused for example by irradiation or chemisorption treatments, are small perturbing clusters, i.e. bi-site defects, extending over both A and B sites. The relative positions of these perturbing clusters play a crucial role in determining the electronic properties of carbon nanotubes. Using bandstructure and electronic transport calculations, we find out that in the case of armchair metallic nanotubes a band gap opens up when the clusters fulfill a certain periodicity condition. This phenomenon might be used in future nanoelectronic devices in whi…
We use ab initio density functional calculations to study hydrogen-induced disintegration of single- and multi-wall carbon fullerenes and nanotubes. Our results indicate that hydrogen atoms preferentially chemisorb along lines in sp2 bonded carbon nanostructures, locally weakening the carbon bonds and releasing stress. For particular structural arrangements, hydrogen helps to relieve the accumulated stress by inducing step-wise local cleavage leading to disintegration of the outermost wall.
Using first-principles calculations, we examine the electronic and magnetic properties of partially open zigzag carbon nanotube (CNT) superlattices. It is found that depending on their opening degree, these superlattices can exhibit multiple localized states around the Fermi energy. More importantly, some electronic states confined in some parts of the structure even have special magnetic orderings. We demonstrate that, as a proof of principle, some partially open zigzag CNT superlattices are by themselves giant (100%) magnetoresistive devices. Furthermore, the localized(and spin-polarized) st…
{\it Ab initio} investigations of the full static dielectric response and Born effective charge of BN nanotubes (BN-NTs) have been performed for the first time using finite electric field method. It is found that the ionic contribution to the static dielectric response of BN-NTs is substantial and also that a pronounced chirality-dependent oscillation is superimposed on the otherwise linear relation between the longitudinal electric polarizability and the tube diameter ($D$), as for a thin dielectric cylinderical shell. In contrast, the transverse dielectric response of the BN-NTs resemble the…
We propose an ab-initio combination of the Linear Muffin-Tin Orbital and the Recursion Methods to study the effect of extended Stone-Wales defects in single layer Carbon nanotubes. We have successfully applied this to zigzag and armchair tubes. The methodology involves no intrinsic mean-field like assumptions or external parameter fitting. As defects proliferate, the low density of states near the Fermi levels of the pristine tubes is filled with defect states. The increase of DOS at the Fermi level leads to enhanced conduction, which indicates enhanced metallicity due to SW defects in the nan…
The structure and elastic properties of (5,5) and (10,10) nanotubes, as well as barriers for relative rotation of the walls and their relative sliding along the axis in a double-walled (5,5)@(10,10) carbon nanotube, are calculated using the density functional method. The results of these calculations are the basis for estimating the following physical quantities: shear strengths and diffusion coefficients for relative sliding along the axis and rotation of the walls, as well as frequencies of relative rotational and translational oscillations of the walls. The commensurability-incommensurabili…
Density functional calculations were performed to systematically study a series of finite and infinite cluster-assembled silicon nanotubes (SiNTs). One-dimensional SiNTs can be prepared by proper assembly of hydrogenated cage-like silicon clusters to form semiconductors with a large band gap, and their electronic properties can be accurately tuned by transition metal doping in the center of the tubes. Specifically, doping with Fe made the SiNTs metallic and magnetic materials. More interestingly, a metal to half-metal transition was observed with increasing tube radius in Fe-doped SiNTs, which…
We present a detailed comparison between theoretical predictions on electron scattering processes in metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes with defects and experimental data obtained by scanning tunneling spectroscopy of Ar$^+$ irradiated nanotubes. To this purpose we first develop a formalism for studying quantum transport properties of defected nanotubes in presence of source and drain contacts and an STM tip. The formalism is based on a field theoretical approach describing low-energy electrons. We account for the lack of translational invariance induced by defects within the so called ex…
Insights into the need for ab-initio calculations to accurately predict the optical properties of metallic carbon nanotubes based on experimental confrontation
The structural, electronic, and optical properties of metal (Si, Ge, Sn, and Pb) mono- and co-doped anatase TiO$_{2}$ nanotubes are investigated, in order to elucidate their potential for photocatalytic applications. It is found that Si doped TiO$_{2}$ nanotubes are more stable than those doped with Ge, Sn, or Pb. All dopants lower the band gap, except the (Ge, Sn) co-doped structure, the decrease depending on the concentration and the type of dopant. Correspondingly, a redshift in the optical properties for all kinds of dopings is obtained. Even though a Pb mono- and co-doped TiO$_{2}$ nanotu…
Interwall interaction energies of double-walled nanotubes (DWNTs) with long inner and short outer walls are calculated as functions of coordinates describing relative rotation and displacement of the walls using van der Waals corrected density functional theory. The magnitude of corrugation and the shape of the potential energy relief are found to be very sensitive to changes of the shorter wall length at subnanometer scale and atomic structure of the edges if at least one of the walls is chiral. Threshold forces required to start relative motion of the short walls and temperatures at which th…
We have synthesized boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) in an arc in presence of boron and nitrogen species only, without transition metals. We find that BNNTs are often attached to pure boron nanoparticles, suggesting that root-growth is a likely mechanism for their formation. To gain further insight into this process we have studied key mechanisms for root growth of BNNTs on the surface of a liquid boron droplet by ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. We find that nitrogen atoms reside predominantly on the droplet surface where they organize to form boron nitride islands below 2400 K. To mi…
We study the binding of chlorine atoms to carbon nanotubes and graphene at a Stone-Wales defect and to the sidewalls of pristine nanotubes. We show using ab initio thermodynamics that if the environment is chlorine-rich enough, the unzipping of carbon nanotubes into graphene nanoribbons with chlorinated edges may be thermodynamically feasible. By controlling the Cl chemical potential through temperature and pressure, opening selectively tubes below a threshold diameter might be possible. Additionally, we find increased binding energies for chlorine atoms bound to Stone-Wales defects as compare…
Electronic applications of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) require the deposition of dielectric films on the tubes while conserving their excellent electronic properties. In our density functional theory study we use the trimethylaluminum (TMA) atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a model process for a CNT-functionalization. Since this functionalization relies on the presence of OH-groups, the CNTs are exposed to a water or oxygen pre-treatment. We show that only CNTs with a single-vacancy defect are able to react with H$_{2}$O or O$_{2}$. Further, the defect is preferably saturated by oxygen. This leaves…
We investigate the electronic and magnetic properties of hydrogenated carbon nanotubes using ab initio spin-polarized calculations within both the local density approximation (LDA) and the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). We find that the combination of charge transfer and carbon network distortion makes the spin-polarized flat-band appear in the tube's energy gap. Various spin-dependent ground state properties are predicted with the changes of the radii, the chiralities of the tubes and the concentration of hydrogen (H). It is found that strain or external electric field can effectiv…
We use density functional computations to study the size effects on the structural, electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of (5,0) finite carbon nanotubes (FCNT), with length in the range of 4-44 Å. It is found that the structural and electronic properties of (5,0) FCNTs, in the ground state, converge at a length of about 30 Å, while the excited state properties exhibit long-range edge effects. We discuss that curvature effects govern the electronic structure of short (5,0) FCNTs and enhance energy gap of these systems, in contrast to the known trend in the periodic limit. It is seen th…
A field effect transistor (FET) measurement of a SWNT shows a transition from a metallic one to a p-type semiconductor after helical wrapping of DNA. Water is found to be critical to activate this metal-semiconductor transition in the SWNT-ssDNA hybrid. Raman spectroscopy confirms the same change in electrical behavior. According to our ab initio calculations, a band gap can open up in a metallic SWNT with wrapped ssDNA in the presence of water molecules due to charge transfer.
With the empirical bond polarizability model, the nonresonant Raman spectra of the chiral and achiral single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) under uniaxial and torsional strains have been systematically studied by \textit{ab initio} method. It is found that both the frequencies and the intensities of the low-frequency Raman active modes almost do not change in the deformed nanotubes, while their high-frequency part shifts obviously. Especially, the high-frequency part shifts linearly with the uniaxial tensile strain, and two kinds of different shift slopes are found for any kind of SWCNTs. More…
We demonstrate that one-dimensional moiré patterns, analogous to those found in twisted bilayer graphene, can arise in collapsed chiral carbon nanotubes. Resorting to a combination of approaches, namely, molecular dynamics to obtain the relaxed geometries and tight-binding calculations validated against ab initio modeling, we find that magic angle physics occur in collapsed carbon nanotubes. Velocity reduction, flat bands and localization in AA regions with diminishing moiré angle are revealed, showing a magic angle close to 1$^{\rm o}$. From the spatial extension of the AA regions and the wid…
Trion states of three correlated particles (e.g., two electrons and one hole) are essential to understand the optical spectra of doped or gated nanostructures, like carbon nanotubes or transition-metal dichalcogenides. We develop a theoretical many-body description for such correlated states using an ab-initio approach. It can be regarded as an extension of the widely used $GW$ method and Bethe-Salpeter equation, thus allowing for a direct comparison with excitons. We apply this method to a semiconducting (8,0) carbon nanotube, and find that the lowest optically active trions are red-shifted b…
In this work we present ab initio calculations of the formation energies and stability of different types of multi-vacancies in carbon nanotubes. We demonstrate that, as in the case of graphene, the reconstruction of the defects has drastic effects on the energetics of the tubes. In particular, the formation of pentagons eliminates the dangling bonds thus lowering the formation energy. This competition leads to vacancies having an even number of carbon atoms removed to be more stable. Finally the appearance of magic numbers indicating more stable defects can be represented by a model for the f…
We formulate and implement Helical DFT -- a self-consistent first principles simulation method for nanostructures with helical symmetries. Such materials are well represented in all of nanotechnology, chemistry and biology, and are expected to be associated with unprecedented material properties. We rigorously demonstrate the existence and completeness of special solutions to the single electron problem for helical nanostructures, called helical Bloch waves. We describe how the Kohn-Sham Density Functional Theory equations for a helical nanostructure can be reduced to a fundamental domain with…
We report the functionalization of carbon nanotubes with two azobenzene-based chromophores with large internal dipole moments and opposite dipole orientations. The molecules are attached to the nanotubes non-covalently via a pyrene tether. A combination of characterization techniques shows uniform molecular coverage on the nanotubes, with minimal aggregation of excess chromophores on the substrate. The large on/off ratios and the sub-threshold swings of the nanotube-based field-effect transistors (FETs) are preserved after functionalization, and different shifts in threshold voltage are observ…
In this work, we have examined how the multi-vacancy defects induced in the horizontal direction change the energetics and the electronic structure of semiconducting Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs). The electronic structure of SWCNTs is computed for each deformed configuration by means of real space, Order(N) Tight Binding Molecular Dynamic (O(N) TBMD) simulations. Energy band gap is obtained in real space through the behavior of electronic density of states (eDOS) near the Fermi level. Vacancies can effectively change the energetics and hence the electronic structure of SWCNTs. In thi…
Capillary and van der Waals forces cause nanotubes to deform or even collapse under metal contacts. Using ab-initio bandstructure calculations, we find that these deformations reduce the bandgap by as much as 30\%, while fully collapsed nanotubes become metallic. Moreover degeneracy lifting, due to the broken axial symmetry and wavefunctions mismatch between the fully collapsed and the round portions of a CNT, leads to a three times higher contact resistance. The latter we demonstrate by contact resistance calculations within the tight-binding approach.
We report a combined electronic transport and structural characterization study of small carbon nanotube bundles in field-effect transistors (FET). The atomic structures of the bundles are determined by electron diffraction using an observation window built in the FET. The single-walled nanotube bundles exhibit electrical transport characteristics sensitively dependent on the structure of individual tubes, their arrangements in the bundle, deformation due to intertube interaction, and the orientation with respect to the gate electric field. Our ab-initio simulation shows that tube deformation …
Carrier injection into carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoribbons, contacted by a metal coating over an arbitrary length, is studied by various means: Minimal models allow for exact analytic solutions which can be transferred to the original system with high precision. Microscopic ab initio calculations of the electronic structure at the carbon-metal interface allow us to extract -- for Ti and Pd as contacting materials -- realistic parameters, which are then used in large scale tight-binding models for transport calculations. The results are shown to be robust against nonepitaxially grown elec…
We report the production of covalently bonded selenium double-helices within the narrow cavity inside double-wall carbon nanotubes. The double-helix structure, characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, is completely different from the bulk atomic arrangement and may be considered a new structural phase of Se. Supporting ab initio calculations indicate that the observed encapsulated Se double-helices are radially compressed and have formed from free Se atoms or short chains contained inside carbon nanotubes. The calculated electronic structure of S…
The validity of the DFT models implemented by FIREBALL for CNT electronic device modeling is assessed. The effective masses, band gaps, and transmission coefficients of semi-conducting, zigzag, (n,0) carbon nanotubes (CNTs) resulting from the ab initio tight-binding density functional theory (DFT) code FIREBALL and the empirical, nearest-neighbor pi-bond model are compared for all semiconducting n values 5 <(=) n <(=) 35. The DFT values for the effective masses differ from the pi-bond values by +(-) 9% over the range of n values, 17 <(=) n <(=) 29, most important for electronic device applicat…
We introduce a new simplified method for computing the electron field emission current in short carbon nanotubes using ab-initio computation in periodic simulation cells. We computed the evolution of the wave functions using Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory, where we have utilized the Crank-Nicholson propagator. We found that in pristine carbon nanotubes, the emitted charge tends to emerge mostly from electrons that are concentrated at the nanotube tip region. The charge beam concentrates into specific channel structures, showing the utility of carbon nanotubes in precision emission ap…
Recent theoretical and experimental works on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have revealed that spin-orbit interaction (SOI) is more robust than it was thought. Motivated by this, we investigate the SOI in helically coiled CNTs. Calculations are performed within the tight-binding model with the inclusion of a four-orbital basis set; thereby the full symmetry of the helical lattice and the hybridization of $π$\ and $σ$ bands are considered. By virtue of unitary transformation and perturbation approach, we obtain the analytic solution for the torsion-dependent SOI in helically coiled CNTs. Due to the en…
We present ab initio calculations on the band structure and density of states of single wall semiconducting carbon nanotubes with high degrees (up to 25%) of B, Si and N substitution. The doping process consists of two phases: different carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for a constant doping rate and different doping rates for the zigzag (8, 0) carbon nanotube. We analyze the doping dependence of nanotubes on the doping rate and the nanotube type. Using these results, we select the zigzag (8, 0) carbon nanotube for toxic gas sensor calculation and obtain the total and partial densities of states for CNT…
We show that quantum confinement in the valence and conduction bands of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes can be engineered by means of artificial defects. This ability holds potential for designing future nanotube-based quantum devices such as electrically driven room-temperature single-photon sources emitting at telecom-wavelength. Using Ar$^{+}$ and N$^{+}$ ion-induced defects, intrananotube quantum dots with sub-10 nm lateral sizes are created, giving rise to quantized electronic bound states with level spacings of the order of 100 meV and larger. Using low-temperature scanning…
We combine {\em ab initio} density functional theory (DFT) structural studies with DFT-based nonequilibrium Green function calculations to investigate how the presence of non-hexagonal rings affects electronic transport in graphitic structures. We find that infinite monolayers, finite-width nanoribbons and nanotubes formed of 5-8 haeckelite with only 5- and 8-membered rings are generally more conductive than their graphene-based counterparts. Presence of haeckelite defect lines in the perfect graphitic structure, a model of grain boundaries in CVD-grown graphene, increases the electronic condu…
The gap oscillations caused by a magnetic flux penetrating a carbon nanotube represent one of the most spectacular observation of the Aharonov-Bohm effect at the nano--scale. Our understanding of this effect is, however, based on the assumption that the electrons are strictly confined on the tube surface, on trajectories that are not modified by curvature effects. Using an ab-initio approach based on Density Functional Theory we show that this assumption fails at the nano-scale inducing important corrections to the physics of the Aharonov-Bohm effect. Curvature effects and electronic density s…
We propose a previously unexplored way to form Nb nanowires from NbCl$_3$ molecules inside carbon nanotubes (CNTs). We have studied this reaction by ab initio density functional calculations and found it to be catalytically promoted in presence of graphitic carbon. Our results suggest that chemisorption of NbCl$_3$ on the CNT is accompanied by a charge transfer of ~0.5 electrons to the nanotube wall, which significantly weakens the Nb-Cl bond. We found that the bcc structure of Nb is not affected by the small diameter of the nanowire inside a CNT. We have also identified strong covalent bonds …
In-situ Raman experiments together with transport measurements have been carried out on carbon nanotubes as a function of gate voltage. In metallic tubes, a large increase in the Raman frequency of the $G^-$ band, accompanied by a substantial decrease of its line-width, is observed with electron or hole doping. In addition, we see an increase in Raman frequency of the $G^+$ band in semiconducting tubes. These results are quantitatively explained using ab-initio calculations that take into account effects beyond the adiabatic approximation. Our results imply that Raman spectroscopy can be used …
We present a phenomenological force-constant model developed for the description of lattice dynamics of sp2 hybridized carbon networks. Within this model approach, we introduce a new set of parameters to calculate the phonon dispersion of graphene by fitting the ab initio dispersion. Vibrational modes of carbon nanotubes are obtained by folding the 2D dispersion of graphene and applying special corrections for the low-frequency modes. Particular attention is paid to the exact dispersion law of the acoustic modes, which determine the low-frequency thermal properties and reveal quantum size effe…
Extreme nanowires (ENs) represent the ultimate class of crystals: They are the smallest possible periodic materials. With atom-wide motifs repeated in one dimension (1D), they offer a privileged perspective into the Physics and Chemistry of low-dimensional systems. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) provide ideal environments for the creation of such materials. Here we present a comprehensive study of Te ENs encapsulated inside ultra- narrow SWCNTs with diameters between 0.7 nm and 1.1 nm. We combine state-of-the-art imaging techniques and 1D-adapted ab initio structure prediction to trea…
Multiscale simulation approaches are needed in order to address scientific and technological questions in the rapidly developing field of carbon nanotube electronics. In this paper, we describe an effort underway to develop a comprehensive capability for multiscale simulation of carbon nanotube electronics. We focus in this paper on one element of that hierarchy, the simulation of ballistic CNTFETs by self-consistently solving the Poisson and Schrodinger equations using the non-equilibrium Greens function (NEGF) formalism. The NEGF transport equation is solved at two levels: i) a semi-empirica…
We use an ab-initio approach to design and study a novel two-dimensional material - a planar array of carbon nanotubes separated by an optimal distance defined by the van der Waals interaction. We show that the energy spectrum for an array of quasi-metallic nanotubes is described by a strongly anisotropic hyperbolic dispersion and formulate a model low-energy Hamiltonian for its semi-analytical treatment. Periodic-potential-induced lifting of the valley degeneracy for an array of zigzag narrow-gap nanotubes leads to the band gap collapse. In contrast, the band gap is opened in an array of gapl…
It has been long accepted that the second-order Raman bands in carbon nanotubes are enhanced through the double-resonance mechanism. Although separate aspects of this mechanism have been studied for a few second-order Raman bands, including the most intense defect-induced D band and the two-phonon 2D band, a complete computational approach to the second-order bands is still lacking. Here, we propose such an approach, entirely based on a symmetry-adapted non-orthogonal tight-binding model with ab-initio-derived parameters. As a case study, we consider nanotube (6, 5), for which we calculate the…
The quasiparticle band structure and optical properties of single-walled zigzag and armchair SiC nanotubes (SiC-NTs) as well as single SiC sheet are investigated by ab initio many-body calculations using the GW and the GW plus Bethe-Salpeter equation (GW+BSE) approaches, respectively. Significant GW quasiparticle corrections of more than 1.0 eV to the Kohn-Sham band gaps from the local density approximation (LDA) calculations are found. The GW self-energy corrections transform the SiC sheet from a indirect LDA band gap to a direct band gap material. Furthermore, the quasiparticle band gaps of …
In this work we present an ab-initio study of electronic properties of 1 dimensional (1D) core-shell nanostructures made of MS2 (MoS2, WS2) or BN armchair nanotube encapsulated carbon nanotubes (CNT). With local density approximation (LDA) in density functional theory (DFT) we calculate the bandstructure, carrier effective masses, various fundamental electrostatic features and optical absorption in such core-shell tubes. The carrier transport in these structures are important for nanoelectronics applications and are studied with the Greens function formalism. Simulations show a moderate indire…
The interactions between carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and metal adatoms as well as metal contacts are studied by means of ab initio electronic structure calculations. We show that the electronic properties of a semiconducting (8,4) CNT can be modified by small amounts of Pd adatoms. Such a decoration conserves the piezoelectric properties of the CNT. Besides the electronic influence, the stability of a single adatom, which is of big importance for future technology applications, is investigated as well. We find only small energy barriers for the diffusion of a Pd adatom on the CNT surface. Thus, si…
We present a detailed study of the lattice dynamics and electron-phonon coupling for a (3,3) carbon nanotube which belongs to the class of small diameter based nanotubes which have recently been claimed to be superconducting. We treat the electronic and phononic degrees of freedom completely by modern ab-initio methods without involving approximations beyond the local density approximation. Using density functional perturbation theory we find a mean-field Peierls transition temperature of approx 40K which is an order of magnitude larger than the calculated superconducting transition temperatur…
We present results of extensive theoretical studies concerning stability, morphology, and band structure of single wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) covalently functionalized by -CHn(for n=2,3,4),-NHn(for n=1,2,3,4),-COOH and -OH groups. Our studies are based on ab initio calculations in the framework of the density functional theory. We determine the dependence of the binding energies on the concentration of the adsorbed molecules, critical densities of adsorbed molecules, global and local changes in the morphology, and electronic structure paying particular attention to the functionalization indu…
We theoretically investigate the influence of defect-induced long-range deformations in carbon nanotubes on their electronic transport properties. To this end we perform numerical ab-initio calculations using a density-functional-based tight-binding (DFTB) model for various tubes with vacancies. The geometry optimization leads to a change of the atomic positions. There is a strong reconstruction of the atoms near the defect (called "distortion") and there is an additional long-range deformation. The impact of both structural features on the conductance is systematically investigated. We compar…
