Squashed carbon nanotubes make smooth nanoribbons – Physics World

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have many possible uses in electronics and optoelectronics, but a lack of efficient methods to prepare these ultra-narrow strips of carbon has so far limited their applications. Researchers in China and the US have now found a novel solution. By squashing carbon nanotubes in a diamond anvil cell, the team produce sub-10-nm-wide semiconducting GNRs with atomically smooth closed edges and few defects, potentially paving the way to a more widespread adoption of the material.