Chemically induced conductance switching in carbon nanotube circuits.
The chemical reactivity of carbon nanotubes in H2SO4 is investigated using individual, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) incorporated into electronic devices. Exploiting the device conductance as a sensitive indicator of chemical reactions, discrete oxidation and reduction events can be clearly observed. During oxidation, a SWNT opens circuits to a nanometer-scale tunnel junction with residual conduction similar to Frenkel-Poole charge emission. When electrochemically reduced, a SWNT returns to its original conductance. This redox cycle can be repeated many times, suggesting a novel chemical method of reversibly switching SWNT conductivity.
Mannik
Jaan
J
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA.
Goldsmith
Brett R
BR
Kane
Alexander
A
Collins
Philip G
PG