Microwave-assisted purification of HIPCO carbon nanotubes

A very easy way for improving the purity of carbon nanotubes using a domestic multimode microwave oven is reported, in which selective burning of metal particles helps remove most of the iron content.

Charge transport through self-assembled monolayers of compounds of interest in molecular electronics

The electrical properties of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on metal surfaces have been explored for a series of molecules to address the relation between the behavior of a molecule and its structure. We probed interfacial electron transfer processes, particularly those involving unoccupied states, of SAMs of thiolates or arylates on Au by using shear force-based scanning probe microscopy (SPM) combined with current-voltage (i-V) and current-distance (i-d) measurements. The i-V curves of hexadecanethiol in the low bias regime were symmetric around 0 V and the current increased exponentially with V at high bias voltage. Different than hexadecanethiol, reversible peak-shaped i-V characteristics were obtained for most of the nitro-based oligo(phenylene ethynylene) SAMs studied here, indicating that part of the conduction mechanism of these junctions involved resonance tunneling. These reversible peaked i-V curves, often described as a negative differential resistance (NDR) effect of the junction, can be used to define a threshold tip bias, V(TH), for resonant conduction. We also found that for all of the SAMs studied here, the current decreased with increasing distance, d, between tip and substrate. The attenuation factor beta of hexadecanethiol was high, ranging from 1.3 to 1.4 A(-1), and was nearly independent of the tip bias. The beta-values for nitro-based molecules were low and depended strongly on the tip bias, ranging from 0.15 A(-1) for tetranitro oligo(phenylene ethynylene) thiol, VII, to 0.50 A(-1) for dinitro oligo(phenylene) thiol, VI, at a -3.0 V tip bias. Both the V(TH) and beta values of these nitro-based SAMs were also strongly dependent on the structures of the molecules, e.g. the number of electroactive substituent groups on the central benzene, the molecular wire backbone, the anchoring linkage, and the headgroup. We also observed charge storage on nitro-based molecules. For a SAM of the dintro compound, V, approximately 25% of charge collected in the negative scan is stored in the molecules and can be collected at positive voltages. A possible mechanism involving lateral electron hopping is proposed to explain this phenomenon.

Interplay of topology and chemical stability on the electronic transport of molecular junctions

The coherent electronic transport through molecular junctions is theoretically modeled. The interplay of geometry, topology, and chemistry is explored within the Landauer picture of elastic scattering and various methods of quantum description of the composite system. The emphasis is on obtaining guiding principles for device optimization. Outstanding problems and future directions are outlined.

Organic functionalization of carbon nanotubes

A very general and versatile method for functionalizing different types of carbon nanotubes is described, using the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides. Approximately one organic group per 100 carbon atoms of the nanotube is introduced, to yield remakably soluble bundles of nanotubes, as seen in transmission electron micrographs. The solubilization of the nanotubes generates a novel, interesting class of materials, which combines the properties of the nanotubes and the organic moiety, thus offering new opportunities for applications in materials science, including the preparation of nanocomposites.

Suppression of tunneling into multiwall carbon nanotubes

We have studied tunneling of electrons into multiwall carbon nanotubes (NTs) in NT-gold and NT-NT junctions, the latter created by atomic force microscope manipulation. The tunneling conductance goes to zero as the energy (temperature and bias) is reduced, and the functional form is consistent with a power law. The exponents depend upon sample geometry. The relationship between these results and theories for tunneling into ballistic and disordered metals is discussed.

Fabrication and characterization of metal-molecule-metal junctions by conducting probe atomic force microscopy

Metal-molecule-metal junctions were fabricated by contacting Au-supported alkyl or benzyl thiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with an Au-coated atomic force microscope (AFM) tip. The tip-SAM microcontact is approximately 15 nm(2), meaning the junction contains approximately 75 molecules. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of these junctions were probed as a function of SAM thickness and load applied to the microcontact. The measurements showed: (1) the I-V traces were linear over +/-0.3 V, (2) the junction resistance increased exponentially with alkyl chain length, (3) the junction resistance decreased with increasing load and showed two distinct power law scaling regimes, (4) resistances were a factor of 10 lower for junctions based on benzyl thiol SAMs compared to hexyl thiol SAMs having the same thickness, and (5) the junctions sustained fields up to 2 x 10(7) V/cm before breakdown. I-V characteristics determined for bilayer junctions involving alkane thiol-coated tips in contact with alkane thiol SAMs on Au also showed linear I-Vs over +/-0.3 V and the same exponential dependence on thickness. The I-V behavior and the exponential dependence of resistance on alkyl chain length are consistent with coherent, nonresonant electron tunneling across the SAM. The calculated conductance decay constant (beta) is 1.2 per methylene unit ( approximately 1.1 A(-)(1)) for both monolayer and bilayer junctions, in keeping with previous scanning tunneling microscope and electrochemical measurements of electron transfer through SAMs. These measurements show that conducting probe-AFM is a reliable method for fundamental studies of electron transfer through small numbers of molecules. The ability to vary the load on the microcontact is a unique characteristic of these junctions and opens opportunities for exploring electron transfer as a function of molecular deformation.

Engineering carbon nanotubes and nanotube circuits using electrical breakdown

Carbon nanotubes display either metallic or semiconducting properties. Both large, multiwalled nanotubes (MWNTs), with many concentric carbon shells, and bundles or "ropes" of aligned single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs), are complex composite conductors that incorporate many weakly coupled nanotubes that each have a different electronic structure. Here we demonstrate a simple and reliable method for selectively removing single carbon shells from MWNTs and SWNT ropes to tailor the properties of these composite nanotubes. We can remove shells of MWNTs stepwise and individually characterize the different shells. By choosing among the shells, we can convert a MWNT into either a metallic or a semiconducting conductor, as well as directly address the issue of multiple-shell transport. With SWNT ropes, similar selectivity allows us to generate entire arrays of nanoscale field-effect transistors based solely on the fraction of semiconducting SWNTs.

Current saturation and electrical breakdown in multiwalled carbon nanotubes

We investigate the limits of high energy transport in multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). In contrast to metal wires, MWNTs do not fail in the continuous, accelerating manner typical of electromigration. Instead, they fail via a series of sharp, equally sized current steps. We assign these steps to the sequential destruction of individual nanotube shells, consistent with the MWNT's concentric-shell geometry. Furthermore, the initiation of this failure is very sensitive to air exposure. In air failure is initiated by oxidation at a particular power, whereas in vacuum MWNTs can withstand much higher power densities and reach their full current carrying capacities.

Tunable resistance of a carbon nanotube-graphite interface

The transfer of electrons from one material to another is usually described in terms of energy conservation, with no attention being paid to momentum conservation. Here we present results on the junction resistance between a carbon nanotube and a graphite substrate and show that details of momentum conservation also can change the contact resistance. By changing the angular alignment of the atomic lattices, we found that contact resistance varied by more than an order of magnitude in a controlled and reproducible fashion, indicating that momentum conservation, in addition to energy conservation, can dictate the junction resistance in graphene systems such as carbon nanotube junctions and devices.

Macroscopic fibers and ribbons of oriented carbon nanotubes

A simple method was used to assemble single-walled carbon nanotubes into indefinitely long ribbons and fibers. The processing consists of dispersing the nanotubes in surfactant solutions, recondensing the nanotubes in the flow of a polymer solution to form a nanotube mesh, and then collating this mesh to a nanotube fiber. Flow-induced alignment may lead to a preferential orientation of the nanotubes in the mesh that has the form of a ribbon. Unlike classical carbon fibers, the nanotube fibers can be strongly bent without breaking. Their obtained elastic modulus is 10 times higher than the modulus of high-quality bucky paper.

In vitro selection of functional nucleic acids

In vitro selection allows rare functional RNA or DNA molecules to be isolated from pools of over 10(15) different sequences. This approach has been used to identify RNA and DNA ligands for numerous small molecules, and recent three-dimensional structure solutions have revealed the basis for ligand recognition in several cases. By selecting high-affinity and -specificity nucleic acid ligands for proteins, promising new therapeutic and diagnostic reagents have been identified. Selection experiments have also been carried out to identify ribozymes that catalyze a variety of chemical transformations, including RNA cleavage, ligation, and synthesis, as well as alkylation and acyl-transfer reactions and N-glycosidic and peptide bond formation. The existence of such RNA enzymes supports the notion that ribozymes could have directed a primitive metabolism before the evolution of protein synthesis. New in vitro protein selection techniques should allow for a direct comparison of the frequency of ligand binding and catalytic structures in pools of random sequence polynucleotides versus polypeptides.

Scanned probe microscopy of electronic transport in carbon nanotubes

We use electrostatic force microscopy and scanned gate microscopy to probe the conducting properties of carbon nanotubes at room temperature. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes are shown to be diffusive conductors, while metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes are ballistic conductors over micron lengths. Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes are shown to have a series of large barriers to conduction along their length. These measurements are also used to probe the contact resistance and locate breaks in carbon nanotube circuits.

Nanotube nanotweezers

Nanoscale electromechanical systems-nanotweezers-based on carbon nanotubes have been developed for manipulation and interrogation of nanostructures. Electrically conducting and mechanically robust carbon nanotubes were attached to independent electrodes fabricated on pulled glass micropipettes. Voltages applied to the electrodes closed and opened the free ends of the nanotubes, and this electromechanical response was simulated quantitatively using known nanotweezer structure and nanotube properties. The mechanical capabilities of the nanotweezers were demonstrated by grabbing and manipulating submicron clusters and nanowires. The conducting nanotube arms of the tweezers were also used for measuring the electrical properties of silicon carbide nanoclusters and gallium arsenide nanowires.

Carbon nanotube quantum resistors

The conductance of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) was found to be quantized. The experimental method involved measuring the conductance of nanotubes by replacing the tip of a scanning probe microscope with a nanotube fiber, which could be lowered into a liquid metal to establish a gentle electrical contact with a nanotube at the tip of the fiber. The conductance of arc-produced MWNTs is one unit of the conductance quantum G0 = 2e2/h = (12.9 kilohms)-1. The nanotubes conduct current ballistically and do not dissipate heat. The nanotubes, which are typically 15 nanometers wide and 4 micrometers long, are several orders of magnitude greater in size and stability than other typical room-temperature quantum conductors. Extremely high stable current densities, J > 10(7) amperes per square centimeter, have been attained.