Manipulation of Nanomaterial by Carbon Nanotube Nanotweezers in Scanning Probe Microscope

We have developed nanotweezers consisting of carbon nanotube arms which were attached on a specially designed Si tip with the metal electrodes patterned. The attachment processes were carried out under viewing through a scanning electron microscope. The application of a dc voltage to the two nanotube-arms induces their movement to approach each other. The numerical simulation performed by taking into account the balance between the electrostatic attraction and the bending moment of the nanotubes well explains the motion of the nanotube arms. Manipulation of nanomaterials using the tweezers operating in an atomic force microscope have also been investigated in terms of the attraction force.