Thin solid films roll up into nanotubes

• Published in: Nature (London) Vol. 410; no. 6825; p. 168
• Main Authors: Schmidt, Oliver G., Eberl, Karl
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 08.03.2001
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/35065525

It is shown that nanotubes can be formed from thin solid films of almost any material at almost any position, once these films are released from their substrate. The two methods for making these solid-state nanotubes, a 'general' and a 'specialized' method, are described. Both rely on the release of thin layers of the material from a substrate by a selective etching procedure. The position of the nanotubes is exactly determined by the etching time. Controlling the thickness of the layers and hence of the tube walls depends on the deposition method and can be as precise as a single atomic layer. (CSA)