Unveiling the Atomic Structure of Single-Wall Boron Nanotubes

However, recent calculations at higher levels of theory (second order MøllerPlesset perturbation theory) and with van der Waals corrected DFT show that the buckling might be an artefact of standard DFT. [ 20,21 ] Without buckling all BNTs are indeed metallic. This feature could make BNTs excellent candidates for future nanometer-scale conducting elements. Recently Liu et al. reported conductivity measurements on large-diameter (10 to 40 nm) multi-walled BNTs which seem to confi rm this prediction. [ 15 ] Besides the metallic sheets and nanotubes there is a growing body of literature on semi-conducting boron nanostructures that are probably related to the known bulk crystal structures. [ 22–26 ] These developments indicate the rise of a very promising branch of nanoscience based on boron nanostructures. [ 26,27 ]