Determining radial breathing mode frequencies of single-walled carbon nanotubes with an atomic force microscope

Abstract

We report on the experimental determination of the radial breathing mode frequency (≃ 5 THz) of individual single-walled carbon nanotubes by nanoindentation measurements performed with an Atomic Force Microscope using commercial microfabricated silicon cantilevers with ultrasharp tips, evidencing the sensitivity of such instruments to frequencies in the THz range, well above the resonance frequencies of the cantilevers (∼ 130 kHz).