A study on the modulation of the electrical transport by mechanical straining of individual titanium dioxide nanotube

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-16-2010

Abstract

We report here, the deformation driven modulation of the electrical transport properties of an individual TiO2 nanotube via in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using a scanning tunneling microscopy system. The current-voltage characteristics of each individual TiO2 nanotube revealed that under bending deformation within the elastic limit, the electrical conductivity of a TiO2 nanotube can be enhanced. High resolution TEM and electron diffraction pattern reveal that TiO2 nanotubes have tetragonal structure (a=0.378 nm, c=0.9513 nm, I 4 1/amd). Analysis based on a metal-semiconductor-metal model suggests that in-shell, surface defect-driven conduction modes and electron-phonon coupling effect are responsible for the modulated semiconducting behaviors. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.

Publication Title

Applied Physics Letters

Share

COinS