The focused electron beam of an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope was used to create individual vacancies in predefined positions of carbon nanotubes. Vacancies in single-wall tubes were unstable and cause an immediate reconstruction of the lattice between 20 and 700C. In double-wall tubes, vacancies were stable and observable up to at least 235C whereas, above 480C, relaxation of the lattice occurred.

Creation of Individual Vacancies in Carbon Nanotubes by Using an Electron Beam of 1A Diameter. J.A.Rodriguez-Manzo, F.Banhart: Nano Letters, 2009, 9[6], 2285-9