title: Interaction forces and conduction properties between multi wall carbon nanotube tips and Au(111).
abstract: We have studied the interaction forces and electrical conduction properties arising between multiwall carbon nanotube tips and the Au(111) surface in air, by means of amplitude modulation scanning force microscopy, also called intermittent contact. We have centered our work on tips with metallic electronic structure and for the specific parameters used we have found a preliminary interaction range where there is no contact between tip and surface. Stable imaging in this non-contact range is possible with multiwall carbon nanotube tips. These tips have also been used to obtain simultaneous topographic and current maps of the surface. They show excellent properties as tips due to their high aspect ratio and durability, as a result of their elastic and non-reactive properties. Correspondingly, multiwall carbon nanotube tips allow high resolution local analysis of electrical conductivity on a nanometer scale.
authors.affiliation: Lab. Nuevas Microscopi;as, Dpto. Física de la Materia Condensada, C-III, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain. luna@stm.lbl.gov
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luna
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: de Pablo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Colchero
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gomez-Herrero
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Baro
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tokumoto
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Jarvis
mesh_terms: D004548:Elasticity; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D017612:Gold Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000379:methods*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D017612:Gold Compounds; D008670:Metals; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon