摘要 |
A precursor chiral nanotube with a specified chirality is grown using an epitaxial process and then cloned. A substrate is provided of crystal material having sheet lattice properties complementary to the lattice properties of the selected material for the nanotube. A cylindrical surface(s) having a diameter of 1 to 100 nanometers are formed as a void in the substrate or as crystal material projecting from the substrate with an orientation with respect to the axes of the crystal substrate corresponding to the selected chirality. A monocrystalline film of the selected material is epitaxially grown on the cylindrical surface that takes on the sheet lattice properties and orientation of the crystal substrate to form a precursor chiral nanotube. A catalytic particle is placed on the precursor chiral nanotube and atoms of the selected material are dissolved into the catalytic particle to clone a chiral nanotube from the precursor chiral nanotube.
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