Universality of moiré physics in collapsed chiral carbon nanotubes

Abstract

We report the existence of moiré patterns and magic angle physics in all families of chiral collapsed carbon nanotubes. A detailed study of the electronic structure of all types of chiral nanotubes, previously collapsed via molecular dynamics, has been performed. We find that each family possesses a unique geometry and moire disposition, as well as a characteristic number of flat bands. Remarkably, all kinds of nanotubes behave the same with respect to magic angle tuning, showing a monotonic behavior that gives rise to magic angles in full agreement with those of twisted bilayer graphene. Therefore, magic angle behavior is universally found in chiral collapsed nanotubes with a small chiral angle, giving rise to moiré patterns. Our approach comprises first-principles and semi-empirical calculations of the band structure, density of states and spatial distribution of the localized states signaled by flat bands.