Atomic correlation between adjacent graphene layers in double-wall carbon nanotubes

Phys Rev Lett. 2005 Feb 4;94(4):045504. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.045504. Epub 2005 Feb 3.

Abstract

Atomic correlation between adjacent graphene layers was elucidated for double-wall carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) through a chiral index assignment of two nested nanotubes by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Our analysis provides a rather constant diameter difference close to 0.75 nm but no chiral angle correlation between the constituent nanotubes in the concentric DWNTs. The local atomic correlation as a commensurate graphene stacking was repeatedly found in eccentric DWNTs and circumscribed nanotubes, which should lead to elastic deformation and bundling of nanotubes.