This book presents, for the first time in a single volume, highlights of the recent work in the exciting new field of atomic and nanometer-scale modification and manipulation of materials. Atomic manipulation techniques ranging from scanning tunneling microscopy to light-pressure lithography, and fabrication approaches ranging from molecular-beam epitaxy to molecular self-assembly are discussed. The book includes extensive discussions of the fundamental physical mechanisms underlying the modification and manipulation processes, as well as discussions of new phenomena observed in nanostructures. This book would be of interest to physicists, chemists and other scientists interested in atomic scale phenomena and nanostructures.

After a short introduction and a brief review of the relation between carbon nanotubes, graphite and other forms of carbon, the synthesis techniques and growth mechanisms for carbon nanotubes are described. This is followed by reviews on nanotube electronic structure, electrical, optical, and mechanical properties, nanotube imaging and spectroscopy, and nanotube applications.