Electromechanical properties of armchair graphene nanoribbons under local torsion

While graphene nanoribbons are prone to twist intrinsically, the effect of local twist on the electromechanical properties remains unexplored. By using the density functional theory in combination with the nonequilibrium Green's function method, we investigate the responses of structural evolution and electrical transport of armchair graphene nanoribbons to local torsion. We show that local twist can alter their transport properties significantly. The current at a given bias can switch on/off or change many times with twist angle, which is related with twist-induced changes in electronic structures of graphene nanoribbons. Our results can provide a valuable guideline for design and implementation of graphene nanoribbons in nanoelectromechanical systems and devices.