We present numerical studies of quantum walks on
C60 and related graphene structures to investigate their transport properties. Also known as a honeycomb lattice, the lattice formed by carbon atoms in the graphene phase can be rolled up to form nanotubes of various dimensions. Graphene nanotubes have many important applications, some of which rely on their unusual electrical conductivity and related properties. Quantum walks on graphs provide an abstract setting in which to study such transport properties independent of the other chemical and physical properties of a physical substance. They can thus be used to further the understanding of mechanisms behind such properties. We find that nanotube structures are significantly more efficient in transporting a quantum walk than cycles of equivalent size, provided the symmetry of the structure is respected in how they are used. We find faster transport on zigzag nanotubes compared to armchair nanotubes, which is unexpected given that for the actual materials the armchair nanotube is metallic, while the zigzag is semiconducting.
Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are narrow ribbons of graphene with atomically precise edges and a single quantum transport channel, at experimentally-relevant dopings. This makes them ideal systems to harness quantum transport straintronics (QTS), i.e. using mechanical strain to control accurately quantum transport. We present QTS data from three single-wall carbon nanotube quantum dot (SWCNT-QD) transistors over a broad range of in-situ tunable and reversible uniaxial strain (
Δεmech≈ 0 to 3 %). We first present the nanofabrication of the suspended SWCNT transistors whose channel lengths are
≈ 30 nm. The channels are strained by moving gold clamps holding firmly the nanotubes. We present detailed charge transport data,
dI/dVB−VB−VG and
dI/dVB−VB−Δεmech, showing a large mechanical-gating effect of the SWCNT-QDs. The precise reversibility of the data, and their agreement with QTS theory, confirms that the tubes are strained elastically. We demonstrate that the mechanical control of the QD doping is not due to capacitive-gating effects, but to quantitatively predictable bandstructure changes including a strain-tunable bandgap. This precise mechanical control of the doping and bandgap of SWCNT-QDs could find applications in qubits, condensed matter physics, and homojunction molecular transistors.