Electronic and transport properties of nanotubes

Jean-Christophe Charlier, Xavier Blase, and Stephan Roche
Rev. Mod. Phys. 79, 677 – Published 16 May 2007

Abstract

This article reviews the electronic and transport properties of carbon nanotubes. The focus is mainly theoretical, but when appropriate the relation with experimental results is mentioned. While simple band-folding arguments will be invoked to rationalize how the metallic or semiconducting character of nanotubes is inferred from their topological structure, more sophisticated tight-binding and ab initio treatments will be introduced to discuss more subtle physical effects, such as those induced by curvature, tube-tube interactions, or topological defects. The same approach will be followed for transport properties. The fundamental aspects of conduction regimes and transport length scales will be presented using simple models of disorder, with the derivation of a few analytic results concerning specific situations of short- and long-range static perturbations. Further, the latest developments in semiempirical or ab initio simulations aimed at exploring the effect of realistic static scatterers (chemical impurities, adsorbed molecules, etc.) or inelastic electron-phonon interactions will be emphasized. Finally, specific issues, going beyond the noninteracting electron model, will be addressed, including excitonic effects in optical experiments, the Coulomb-blockade regime, and the Luttinger liquid, charge density waves, or superconducting transition.

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    DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.79.677

    ©2007 American Physical Society

    Authors & Affiliations

    Jean-Christophe Charlier*

    • Unité de Physico-Chimie et de Physique des Matériaux (PCPM), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1 Place Croix du Sud, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Xavier Blase

    • Université de Louvain, F-69000, France, Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée et Nanostructures, Université Lyon I, CNRS, UMR 5586, Domaine scientifique de la Doua, F-69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France

    Stephan Roche

    • Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique, DSM/DRFMC/SPSMS/GT, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9, France

    • *Electronic address: charlier@pcpm.ucl.ac.be
    • Electronic address: xblase@lpmcn.univ-lyon1.fr
    • Electronic address: stephan.roche@cea.fr

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    Issue

    Vol. 79, Iss. 2 — April - June 2007

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