Ferroelectric ordering in ice nanotubes confined in carbon nanotubes

Chuanfu Luo, Wei Fa, Jian Zhou, Jinming Dong, Xiao Cheng Zeng

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

66 Scopus citations

Abstract

The ice nanotubes with odd number of side faces formed inside carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are found to exhibit spontaneous electric polarizations along their tube axes by means of molecular dynamics simulations. The physical mechanism underlying the quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) ferroelectricity is an interplay between the Q1D geometrical confinement of CNTs and the distinct orientational ordering of the hydrogen bonds dictated by the "ice rule". This mechanism is fundamentally different from the conventional one seen in three-dimensional ferroelectric (FE) materials or in two-dimensional FE ice films. In addition, it is found that vacancies in the ice nanotubes can induce a net polarization normal to the tube axis.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2607-2612
Number of pages6
JournalNano Letters
Volume8
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2008
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • General Chemistry
  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Mechanical Engineering

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