Nanoscroll formation from strained layer heterostructures

Nanoscrolls develop when thin, strained semiconductor multilayers are peeled off from their substrate. We model the strain relaxation using continuum strain theory and predict that the scroll diameter depends on the winding direction if the cubic symmetry of zinc blende semiconductors is taken into account, 〈100〉 being the preferred winding direction. The effects of nonlinear strain and third order elastic coefficients are considered, the latter leading to smaller scroll diameter.