Nano-Makisu: Two-Dimensional Carbon derived from One-Dimensional Carbon

The synthesis of carbon nanotubes and the rediscovery of graphene has sparked experimental and theoretical studies on new allotropes of carbon. Herein, we report first-principles calculations on novel two-dimensional carbon allotropes that are formed from embedding single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) within graphene sheets. The SWNTs are joined to the sheet via hexagonal or tetragon-octagon rings. We call this predicted allotrope of carbon nano-makisu. Results of phonon and molecular dynamics calculations demonstrate that these new carbon allotropes are dynamically and thermally stable, and they are energetically more favorable than pure SWNTs. Electronic structure calculations indicate that these two-dimensional carbon allotropes are metallic. Moreover, anisotropic Dirac-cone like features are found in nano-makisu. Because of its intriguing electronic transport properties nano-makisu are potential materials for nanoelectronics.