Controllable reversibility of an sp(2) to sp(3) transition of a single wall nanotube under the manipulation of an AFM tip: A nanoscale electromechanical switch?

A simulation of the deflection of a single wall nanotube under the manipulation of an atomic force microscope tip revealed the key feature characterizing the deformation at relatively small bending angles to be a reversible transition from sp(2) to sp(3) bonding configurations in the bending region, leading to a 2 orders of magnitude reduction in conductance consistent with our most recent experimental observation. A local analysis elucidating the underlying physics of the findings is also discussed.