Localization and Nonlinear Resistance in Telescopically Extended Nanotubes

John Cumings and A. Zettl

Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 086801 – Published 18 August 2004

Abstract

We have measured the electrical resistance $R$ between the ends of a multiwall carbon nanotube during telescopic extension of the nanotube. $R$ increases monotonically with extension and is hysteresis free, demonstrating that a telescoping nanotube constitutes a near-ideal nanometer-scale rheostat. The functional form of $R$ is nonlinear and consistent with an exponential form predicted for a one-dimensional localized system, with a characteristic localization length 1000–1500 nm.

Received 24 February 2004

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.086801

Authors & Affiliations

John Cumings^* and A. Zettl^†

Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley and Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA

^*Present Address: Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
^†Corresponding Author, email: azettl@physics.berkeley.edu

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Vol. 93, Iss. 8 — 20 August 2004

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