Abstract
The paper reviews in-situ electron irradiation studies of carbon nanotubes in electron microscopes. It is shown that electron irradiation at high specimen temperature can lead to a variety of structural modifications and new morphologies of nanotubes. Radiation defects such as vacancies and interstitials are created under irradiation, but the cylindrically closed graphene layers reconstruct locally and remain coherent. The generation of curvature in graphene layers with non-hexagonal rings allows us to alter the topology of nanotubes. Several examples of irradiation-induced modifications of single- and multi-wall nanotubes are shown. Conclusions about the mobility of interstitials and vacancies are drawn which are important to explain the behaviour and the properties of nanotubes with an atomic arrangement deviating from the hexagonal network of graphene.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Harris PJF (1999) Carbon nanotubes and related structures. Cambridge University Press
Iijima S (1991) Nature 354:56
Crespi VH, Chopra NG, Cohen ML, Zettl A, Louie SG (1996) Phys Rev B 54:5927
Kelly BT (1981) The physics of graphite, Applied Science, London
Novoselov KS, Jiang D, Schedin F, Booth TJ, Khotkevich VV, Morozov SV, Geim AK (2005) Proc Nat Acad Sci 102:10451
Koike J, Pedraza DF (1994) J Mater Res 9:1899
Telling RH, Ewels CP, El-Barbary AA, Heggie MI (2003) Nat Mater 2:333
Urita K, Suenaga K, Sugai T, Shinohara H, Iijima S (2005) Phys Rev Lett 94:155502
Ugarte D (1992) Nature 359:707
Banhart F (1999) Rep Progr Phys 62:1181
Smith BW, Luzzi DE (2001) J Appl Phys 90:3509
Burden AP, Hutchison JL (1996) J Cryst Growth 158:185
Krasheninnikov AV, Lehtinen PO, Foster AS, Nieminen RM (2006) Chem Phys Lett 418:132
Stone AJ, Wales DJ (1986) Chem Phys Lett 128:501
Terrones H, Terrones M, Hsu WK (1995) Chem Soc Rev 24:341
Terrones H, Terrones M, Hernandez E, Grobert N, Charlier J-C, Ajayan PM (2000) Phys Rev Lett 84:1716
Krasheninnikov A, Nordlund K, Keinonen J (2002) Phys Rev B 65:165423
Krasheninnikov A, Nordlund K (2004) Nucl Instr Meth B 216:355
Banhart F, Li JX, Krasheninnikov AV (2005) Phys Rev B 71:241408
Ajayan PM, Ravikumar V, Charlier J-C (1998) Phys Rev Lett 81:1437
Peng HY, Wang N, Zheng YF, Lifshitz Y, Kulik J, Zhang RQ, Lee CS, Lee ST (2000) Appl Phys Lett 77:2831
Zhao X, Liu Y, Inoue S, Suzuki T, Jones RO, Ando Y (2004) Phys Rev Lett 92:125502
Krasheninnikov AV, Banhart F, Li JX, Foster AS, Nieminen RM (2005) Phys Rev B 72:125428
Li JX, Banhart F (2004) Nano Lett 4:1143
Banhart F, Li JX, Terrones M (2005) Small 1:953
Terrones M, Terrones H, Banhart F, Charlier J-C, Ajayan PM (2000) Science 288:1226
Terrones M, Banhart F, Grobert N, Charlier J-C, Terrones H, Ajayan PM (2002) Phys Rev Lett 89:075505
Yoon M, Han S, Kim G, Lee S, Berber S, Osawa E, Ihm J, Terrones M, Banhart F, Charlier J-C, Grobert N, Terrones H, Ajayan P M, Tománek D (2004) Phys Rev Lett 92:075504
Miko C, Milas M, Seo JW, Couteau E, Barisic N, Gaal R, Forro L (2003) Appl Phys Lett 83:4622
Acknowledgments
The author is grateful to J.X. Li, L. Sun, A. Krasheninnikov, M. Terrones, P.M. Ajayan, D. Tománek, J.-C. Charlier, N. Grobert, Ph. Kohler-Redlich, T. Füller, and M. Ozawa for good collaboration during many years.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Banhart, F. Irradiation of carbon nanotubes with a focused electron beam in the electron microscope. J Mater Sci 41, 4505–4511 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-006-0081-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-006-0081-0