title: Electromechanical properties of suspended graphene nanoribbons.
abstract: Graphene nanoribbons present diverse electronic properties ranging from semiconducting to half-metallic, depending on their geometry, dimensions, and chemical composition. Here we present a route to control these properties via externally applied mechanical deformations. Using state-of-the-art density functional theory calculations combined with classical elasticity theory considerations, we find a remarkable Young's modulus value of approximately 7 TPa for ultranarrow graphene strips and a pronounced electromechanical response toward bending and torsional deformations. Given the current advances in the synthesis of nanoscale graphene derivatives, our predictions can be experimentally verified opening the way to the design and fabrication of miniature electromechanical sensors and devices based on ultranarrow graphene nanoribbons.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, The Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Oded
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hod
authors.forename: Gustavo E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Scuseria
mesh_terms: D004563:Electrochemistry; D006108:Graphite / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D006108:Graphite