Electronic properties of single and double napped carbon nanocones

TL;DR

This study investigates the electronic properties of single and double carbon nanocones with various defects using a continuum Dirac model, revealing how their geometry and topology influence local density of states and energy spectra.

Contribution

It introduces a geometrical approach to model double nanocones with two nappes, incorporating topological defects and their effects on electronic properties.

Findings

Local density of states near the apex depends on nanocone configuration.

Energy spectrum varies with topological defects and nanocone size.

Double nanocones can potentially control electronic transport.

Abstract

In this paper we study the electronic properties of carbon nanocones with one and two nappes, with pentagonal and heptagonal defects in their lattices. We use the continuum model, which is based on a Dirac-like Hamiltonian with the topological effects described by localized non-Abelian gauge field fluxes. We develop a geometrical approach that can describe the two nappes of the double cone surface simultaneously, by extending the radial coordinate to the complete set of real numbers. We show that, for some combinations of different nanocones, forming the double conical surface, the local density of states near the apex of the cone does not vanish at the Fermi energy and presents a strong dependence on the angular momentum. We also obtain the energy spectrum for finite-sized nanocones and verify that it depends on the choice of topological defect on the surface, which suggests that a double nanocone can be used to control the electronic transport in carbon-based electronic devices.