Electrical Switching in Metallic Carbon Nanotubes

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates through first-principles calculations that the electrical resistance of metallic carbon nanotubes can be significantly modulated by transverse electric fields in the presence of impurities or defects, enabling potential new device applications.

Contribution

It reveals a novel electric field-dependent resistance change mechanism in metallic carbon nanotubes with impurities, supported by first-principles quantum transport calculations.

Findings

Resistance can change over two orders of magnitude.

Backscattering depends on electric field strength and direction.

Potential for new nanotube-based electronic devices.

Abstract

We present first-principles calculations of quantum transport which show that the resistance of metallic carbon nanotubes can be changed dramatically with homogeneous transverse electric fields if the nanotubes have impurities or defects. The change of the resistance is predicted to range over more than two orders of magnitude with experimentally attainable electric fields. This novel property has its origin that backscattering of conduction electrons by impurities or defects in the nanotubes is strongly dependent on the strength and/or direction of the applied electric fields. We expect this property to open a path to new device applications of metallic carbon nanotubes.