title: Structural deformation and intertube conductance of crossed carbon nanotube junctions.
abstract: We present a first-principles study of the structure and quantum electronic conductance of junctions consisting of two crossed (5,5) single-walled carbon nanotubes. The structures are determined by constrained minimization of total energy at a given force between the two tubes, simulating the effects of substrate-tube attraction or an applied force. We find that the intertube contact distance is very sensitive to the applied force in the range of 0--10 nN. The intertube conductance is sizable for realistic deformation expected from substrate interaction. The results explain the recent transport data on crossed nanotubes and show that these systems may be potentially useful as electromechanical devices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Y G
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Mazzoni
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ihm
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Louie