Properties of nanobelts and nanotubes measured by in situ TEM

Characterizing the physical properties of individual nanostructures is challenging because of the difficulty in manipulating the objects of sizes from nanometers to micrometers. Most nanomeasurements have been carried using scanning probe microscopy. In this article, we demonstrate that transmission electron microscopy can be a powerful tool for quantitative measurements of the mechanical and electrical properties of a single nanostructure. Dual-mode resonance of an oxide nanobelt has been observed, and its bending modulus has been measured. An in situ technique was demonstrated for measuring the work function at the tip of a carbon nanotube. The ballistic quantum conductance of a multiwalled carbon nanotube was observed at room temperature using the setup in TEM. It is concluded that in situ measurement by directly linking structure with property is a future direction of electron microscopy.