Electromechanical resonance behavior of suspended single-walled carbon nanotubes under high bias voltages

Abstract

We characterize the nanoelectromechanical response of suspended individual carbon nanotubes under high voltage biases. An abrupt upshift in the mechanical resonance frequency of approximately 3 MHz is observed at high bias. While several possible mechanisms are discussed, this upshift is attributed to the onset of optical phonon emission, which results in a sudden contraction of the nanotube due to its negative thermal expansion coefficient. This, in turn, causes an increase in the tension in the suspended nanotube, which upshifts its mechanical resonance frequency. This upshift is consistent with Raman spectral measurements, which show a sudden downshift of the optical phonon modes at high bias voltages. Using a simple model for oscillations on a string, we estimate the effective change in the length of the nanotube to be ΔL/L ≈ −2 × 10−5 at a bias voltage of 1 V.