Artificial tailoring of carbon nanotube and its electrical properties under high-resolution transmission electron microscope

We report the details of an electron-beam-induced crystallization process of amorphous carbon. A high-resolution transmission electron microscope having a homemade nanomanipulator was used to observe defect repairing and the plastic deformation of a carbon nanotube caused by Joule heating. Electron irradiation at 200 keV combined with 10 mu A Joule heating at 2 V biasing voltage induced the crystallization of carbon nanocapsules from an amorphous carbon fibril. Further, a current exceeding 20 mu A caused defect repairing prior to plastic deformation in a multiwalled carbon nanotube. The outermost layer of the buckled multiwalled nanotube was repaired, but the buckled innermost layer retained its sharp angles as a result of plastic deformation. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.