Abstract
The electrical and mechanical properties of the same hybrid carbon nanotube before and after removal of the core Ga-doped ZnS semiconductor filling have been analysed inside a transmission electron microscope (TEM) using a conductive atomic force microscope TEM system. It is found that the encapsulated material can substantially change the mechanical response of the turbostratic carbon tube container. Furthermore, because the extent of filling is operator-controlled, this provides a simple way to change on-demand the stiffness of hybrid carbon nanotubes. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.