Simple method to prepare individual suspended nanofibers

A simple and general technique for producing a suspended nanofiber has been developed using coordinate markers and a sacrificial layer of poly(methylmethacrylate). The simple procedure does not involve etching processes or chemical vapor deposition and makes it easier to investigate the physical properties of nanofibers in a suspended configuration. As a demonstration, a suspended carbon nanotube rope was fabricated and Young's modulus was determined to be 0.4 TPa from the force calibration of an atomic force microscope. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.