Characterization of the interaction between vacancy defects in zig-zag single-walled carbon nanotubes was carried out through geometric and band-structure analyses with density functional theory. This interaction depended upon the detailed orientation between the defects and, in turn, influenced the electric properties of the defective zig-zag single-walled carbon nanotubes if any two defects were within the defect influencing range. The results shed some light on the origin of the instability found in the electrical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Characterization of Vacancy Defect Interaction on the Electric Properties of Zigzag Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes. Y.P.Luo, L.G.Tien, C.H.Tsai, M.H.Lee, F.Y.Li: Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 2009, 78[9], 094715