The electron transport properties of zigzag graphene nanoribbons with upright standing linear carbon chains

The electron transport properties of zigzag graphene nanoribbons (ZGNRs) with upright standing carbon chains are investigated by using first-principles calculations. The calculated results show a significant odd-even dependence. The currents of even-numbered chain configurations are small because a suppression emerges around the Fermi energy in the transmission spectra under a finite bias. However the I−V curves of odd-numbered chain structures display metallic properties with a big transmission peak in the transmission spectra, indicating the high conductance. These properties offer an interesting method by modifying the odd-even parity of the carbon chains to tune the electron transport properties of ZGNRS.