Structural feature and electronic property of an (8, 0) carbon--silicon carbide nanotube heterojunction

A supercell of a nanotube heterojunction formed by an (8, 0) carbon nanotube (CNT) and an (8, 0) silicon carbide nanotube (SiCNT) is established, in which 96 C atoms and 32 Si atoms are included. The geometry optimization and the electronic property of the heterojunction are implemented through the first-principles calculation based on the density functional theory (DFT). The results indicate that the structural rearrangement takes place mainly on the interface and the energy gap of the heterojunction is 0.31eV, which is narrower than those of the isolated CNT and the isolated SiCNT. By using the average bond energy method, the valence band offset and the conduction band offset are obtained as 0.71 and --0.03eV, respectively.     

(n,n)-(2n, 0)碳纳米管异质结的扭转力学特性

相近直径的锯齿型和扶手椅型碳纳米管可以共轴组合形成5-7碳环交替出现的柱形对称异质结. 本文利用分子动力学方法研究了直径相近且等长锯齿型和扶手椅型碳纳米管形成的(n, n)-(2n, 0)结在扭转过程中的扭矩和轴向应力随扭转角度的变化规律以及应力传递过程. 研究发现, (n, n)-(2n, 0)结扭转应变在达弹性限度内不会产生轴向应力, 该效应对基于碳纳米管扭转特性的纳米振荡器件的设计具有重要意义.     

碳纳米管对接成异质结器件的计算模拟

基于Stone-Wales缺陷演变理论与分子动力学、Monte Carlo计算方法, 进行了碳纳米管(CNTs)对接成异质结器件的计算模拟.首先, 提出了一种模拟CNTs端帽位置变化的新算法, 并计算模拟了单根CNT的端帽从开口到闭合的过程. Stone-Wales缺陷演变被设计模拟这些端帽变化的跃变过程, 以模拟C–C键的生成与断裂, 而分子动力学则作为跃变后构型弛豫的渐变模拟. 同时, 研究了不同管型CNTs的端帽打开并对接形成异质结的过程.研究结果显示, 对接初期在对接处先产生大量的缺陷, 以促进反应的发生. 这些缺陷趋向于演变成稳定的六元环结构, 或者五元环/七元环的结构, 使异质结趋于稳定. 关键词： 碳纳米管 Monte Carlo Stone-Wales缺陷 分子动力学     

Electronic properties of a silicon carbide nanotube under uniaxial tensile strain: a density function theory study

The electronic properties of an armchair (4,4) single-walled silicon carbide nanotube (SWSiCNT) with the length and diameter of 22.4 and 6.93 Å, respectively under different tensile strains are investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The change of highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO–LUMO) gap of the nanotube has been observed during the elongation process. Our results show that the gap will significantly decrease linearly with the increase of axial strain. Two different slopes are found before and after an 11% strain in the profiles of the HOMO–LUMO gap. The radial buckling has been performed to investigate the radial geometry of nanotube. The partial density of states (PDOS) of two neighboring Si and C atoms of the nanotube are further studied to demonstrate the strain effect on the electronic structure of SiC nanotube. The PDOS results exhibit that the occupied states of Si atom and the unoccupied states of C atom are red-shifted and blue-shifted under stretching, respectively. Mulliken charge analysis reveals that Si and C atoms will become less ionic under the larger strain. The electron differences of silicon carbide nanotube (SiCNT) on tensile loading are also studied.     

Behavior of H2O molecule in carbon nanotube/boron nitride nanotube heterostructure

We perform total-energy electronic-structure calculations of a water molecule inside a (7, 7) carbon nanotube/boron nitride nanotube (CNT/BNNT) heterojunction. The van der Waals interaction is also considered in this study. We find that the equilibrium distance between the water molecule and the wall of the CNT (BNNT) is ≈ 3.3 Å, and the encapsulation energy is 0.22 eV (0.25 eV). The energy profile along the tube axis exhibits a dramatic change in the vicinity of the heterojunction. A speed change of water flow is expected to occur near the heterojunction. Such information would provide valuable insight in nanostructure design for nanofluidics.     

The electrical conduction variation in stained carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes become stained from coupling with foreign molecules, especially from adsorbing gas molecules. The charge exchange, which is due to the orbital hybridization, occurred in the stained carbon nanotube induces electrical dipoles that consequently vary the electrical conduction of the nanotube. We propose a microscopic model to evaluate the electrical current variation produced by the induced electrical dipoles in a stained zigzag carbon nanotube. It is found that stronger orbital hybridization strengths and larger orbital energy differences between the carbon nanotube and the gas molecules help increasing the induced electrical dipole moment. Compared with the stain-free carbon nanotube, the induced electrical dipoles suppress the current in the nanotube. In the carbon nanotubes with induced dipoles the current increases as a result of increasing orbital energy dispersion via stronger hybridization couplings. In particular, at a fixed hybridization coupling, the current increases with the bond length for the donor-carbon nanotube but reversely for the acceptor-carbon nanotube.     

Effect of charge on the stability of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes can be viewed as a complete tube structure formed from graphitelayers and they have long been a research focus since the discovery in 1991[1,2]. Due totheir distinct atomic and electronic structures, carbon nanotubes, especially single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), have got into the frontier of the nanoelectronics andthe molecular electronics[3], in addition to their applications in the field of material sci-ence. After successfully manufacturing model electronic devices[4…     

Orbital hybridization and charge transfer in carbon nanopeapods

We investigate the electronic structure of the fullerenes encapsulated inside carbon nanotubes, the so-called nanopeapods, using the first-principles study. The orbital hybridization of LUMO+1 (the state above the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) of C60, rather than LUMO as previously proposed, with the nanotube states explains the peak at approximately 1 eV in recent scanning-tunneling-spectroscopy (STS) data. For the endohedral metallofullerenes nested in the strained nanotube, the charge transfer shifts the relative energy levels of the different states and produces a spatial modulation of the energy gap in agreement with another STS experiment.     

剪切形变对硼氮掺杂碳纳米管超晶格电子结构和光学性能的影响

碳纳米管作为最先进的纳米材料之一, 在电子和光学器件领域有潜在的应用前景, 因此引起了广泛关注. 掺杂、变形及形成超晶格为调制纳米管电子、光学性质提供了有效途径. 为了理解相关机理, 利用第一性原理方法研究了不同剪切形变下扶手椅型硼氮交替环状掺杂碳纳米管超晶格的空间结构、电子结构和光学性质. 研究发现, 剪切形变会改变碳纳米管的几何结构, 当剪切形变大于12%后, 其几何结构有较大畸变. 结合能计算表明, 剪切形变改变了掺杂碳纳米管超晶格的稳定性, 剪切形变越大, 稳定性越低. 电荷布居分析表明, 硼氮掺杂碳纳米管超晶格中离子键和共价键共存. 能带和态密度分析发现硼氮交替环状掺杂使碳纳米管超晶格从金属转变为半导体. 随着剪切形变加剧, 纳米管超晶格能隙逐渐减小, 当剪切形变大于12%后, 碳纳米管又从半导体变为金属. 在光学性能中, 剪切形变的硼氮掺杂碳纳米管超晶格的光吸收系数及反射率峰值较未受剪切形变的均减小, 且均出现了红移.     

Control of the motion of nanoelectromechanical systems based on carbon nanotubes by electric fields

A new method is proposed for controlling the motion of nanoelectromechanical systems based on carbon nanotubes. In this method, a single-walled nanotube acquires an electric dipole moment owing to the chemical adsorption of atoms or molecules at open ends of the nanotube. The electric dipole moments of carbon nanotubes with chemically modified ends are calculated by the molecular orbital method. These nanotubes can be set in motion under the effect of a nonuniform electric field. The possibility of controlling the motion of nanoelectromechanical systems with the proposed method is demonstrated using a nanotube-based gigahertz oscillator as an example. The operating characteristics of the gigahertz oscillator are analyzed, and its operation is simulated by the molecular dynamics method. The controlling parameters and characteristics corresponding to the controlled operating conditions at a constant frequency for the system under investigation are determined.     

Density functional theory (DFT) study of a new novel bionanosensor hybrid; tryptophan/Pd doped single walled carbon nanotube

In order to explore a new novel l-amino acid/transition metal doped single walled carbon nanotube based biosensor, density functional theory calculations were studied. These hybrid structures of organic-inorganic nanobiosensors are able to detect the smallest amino acid building block of proteins. The configurations of amine and carbonyl group coordination of tryptophan aromatic amino acid adsorbed on Pd/doped single walled carbon nanotube were compared. The frontier molecular orbital theory, quantum theory atom in molecule and natural bond orbital analysis were performed. The molecular electrostatic potential and the electron density surfaces were constructed. The calculations indicated that the Pd/SWCNT was sensitive to tryptophan suggesting the importance of interaction with biological molecule and potential detecting application. The proposed nanobiosensor represents a highly sensitive detection of protein at ultra-low concentration in diagnosis applications.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of hydrogen adsorption/desorption by palladium decorated single-walled carbon nanotube bundle

Utilising molecular dynamics simulations, the hydrogen molecules adsorption isotherms of the (8,?0) palladium decorated single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) were obtained. The hydrogen adsorption was studied on the external, interstial and internal surfaces of the SWNT bundle at several temperatures ranging from 77 to 400?K. The results were compared with the bare single-walled carbon nanotube bundle under the same conditions. The decorated carbon nanotube bundle hydrogen adsorption was significantly higher than that of the bare one. The hydrogen desorption and readsorption were studied using temperature as the readsorption/desorption variable. The rate constants were calculated for the hydrogen desorption at different temperatures. The calculated decorated SWNT bundle hydrogen desorption activation energy was higher than that for the bare SWNT bundle. The calculated activation energies for the hydrogen desorption in both nanotube bundles specified the temperature dependency of hydrogen desorption.     

第一性原理研究电场对BN纳米管电子结构的影响

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算研究了电场对BN纳米管的电子结构的影响.首先对在不同电场强度下的纳米管几何结构进行了优化,可以看出纳米管沿轴方向层间距出现了不规则的变化.电子能带结构显示,在电场作用下,zigzag型和armchair型两种结构纳米管的能带向低能方向移动,并且导致纳米管的带隙有显著的减小.电场使得armchair型纳米管的带隙发生了从间接带隙向直接带隙的转变.在电场作用下,纳米管的两端态密度呈现出明显的差异,正负电荷沿轴向出现了沿轴向的空间分离,Mulliken电荷分布图揭示出最高占据轨道和最低未占据轨道分居在纳米管的两端.     

Transport properties of boron-doped single-walled silicon carbide nanotubes

The doped boron (B) atom in silicon carbide nanotube (SiCNT) can substitute carbon or silicon atom, forming two different structures. The transport properties of both B-doped SiCNT structures are investigated by the method combined non-equilibrium Green’s function with density functional theory (DFT). As the bias ranging from 0.8 to 1.0 V, the negative differential resistance (NDR) effect occurs, which is derived from the great difficulty for electrons tunneling from one electrode to another with the increasing of localization of molecular orbital. The high similar transport properties of both B-doped SiCNT indicate that boron is a suitable impurity for fabricating nano-scale SiCNT electronic devices.     

Strange non-chaotic attractors in a state controlled-cellular neural network-based quasiperiodically forced MLC circuit

The adsorption energies, bond order, atomic charge, optical properties, and electrostatic potential of nitrogen molecules of armchair single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and nitrogen-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes (N-SWCNTs) were investigated using density functional theory (DFT). Our results show that adsorption of the \(\hbox {N}_{2}\) molecules on the external wall of a nanotube is more effective than on the internal wall in SWCNTs. The results show that \(\hbox {N}_{2}\) molecule(s) are weakly bonded to SWCNTs and N-SWCNTs through van der Waals-type interactions. The interaction of \(\hbox {N}_{2}\) molecules with SWCNTs and N-SWCNTs is physisorption as the adsorption energy and charge transfer are small, and adsorption distance is large. The electronic transitions from the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) (\(\hbox {H}\rightarrow \hbox {L}\)) have the maximum wavelength and the lowest oscillator strength. The potential sensor on the surface of pristine SWCNTs and N-SWCNTs for the adsorption of \(\hbox {N}_{2}\) molecule(s) is investigated. The N-loaded single-walled carbon nanotube is introduced as a better \(\hbox {N}_{2}\) molecule(s) detector when compared with SWCNTs.     

Electronic structures and transport properties of sulfurized carbon nanotubes

The electronic and transport properties of side-walled sulfurized (8, 0) zigzag carbon nanotube were investigated by using density functional theory coupled with a non-equilibrium Green function approach. It is found that the adsorption of the sulfur chains largely reduces the bandgap of the semiconducting (8, 0) carbon nanotube, even changing it into a metallic one. More importantly, the transmission eigenstates around the Fermi level are contributed by not only the sulfur chains but also the complex system made of the sulfur chains and the single-walled carbon nanotube. Our results provide a method to improve the conductivity and utilization rate of the surface in the electrodes of supercapacitor which are made of the carbon nanotubes.     

Mechanical property of carbon nanotubes with intramolecular junctions: Molecular dynamics simulations

Intramolecular junctions (IMJs) of carbon nanotubes hold a promise of potential applications in nano-electromechanical systems. However, their structure-property relation is still unclear. Using the revised second-generation Tersoff-Brenner potential, molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the mechanical properties of single-walled to four-walled carbon nanotubes with IMJs under uniaxial tension. The dependence of deformation and failure behaviors of IMJs on the geometric parameters was examined. It was found that the rupture strength of a junction is close to that of its thinner carbon nanotube segment, and the rupture strain and Young's modulus show a significant dependence on its geometry. The simulations also revealed that the damage and rupture of multi-walled carbon nanotube junctions take place first in the innermost layer and then propagate consecutively to the outer layers. This study is helpful for optimal design and safety evaluation of IMJ-based nanoelectronics.     

卷曲方式对Rh原子在单壁碳纳米管内外吸附的影响

碳纳米管曲率与卷曲方式是同时存在并影响金属原子在碳纳米管内外吸附行为的重要因素, 单独研究卷曲方式对金属吸附行为的影响较困难. 选取曲率相近、卷曲方式不同的扶手椅型(6, 6)、锯齿型(10, 0)与手性(8, 4)单壁碳纳米管(SWCNT), 利用密度泛函理论研究了Rh原子在SWCNT内外的吸附行为. 构型优化表明:由于SWCNT卷曲方式不同, 导致Rh原子在(6, 6),(10, 0)与(8, 4)SWCNT内外吸附的稳定构型不同; 不同卷曲方式亦使SWCNT与Rh原子相互作用的C原子不同, 导致Rh 关键词： 密度泛函理论 单壁碳纳米管 Rh原子 卷曲方式     

Zero-temperature equation of state of quasi-one-dimensional H2

We have studied molecular hydrogen in a pure 1D geometry and inside a narrow carbon nanotube by means of the diffusion Monte Carlo method. The one dimensionality of H2 in the nanotube is well maintained in a large density range, this system being closer to an ideal 1D fluid than liquid 4He in the same setup. H2 shares with 4He the existence of a stable liquid phase and a quasicontinuous liquid-solid transition at very high linear densities.