title: Carbene-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes and their electrical properties.
abstract: Pure metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes (m-SWCNTs) are very desirable for many electrode and interconnecting applications. However, the lack of reliable processing techniques to sort m-SWCNTs from the as-synthesized SWCNT samples is an obstacle to these applications. The effects of carbene-based covalent functionalization on the electrical properties of an isolated m-SWCNT, a semiconducting (s)-SWCNT, and a mixture network of both m- and s-SWCNTs are reported. For the first time, a semiconducting-to-metallic SWCNT transition upon dichlorocarbene functionalization is observed. Interestingly, the transition is reversible upon thermal annealing under ambient conditions. The electrical properties of m-SWCNTs remain largely unaffected whereas the on-state conductivity of s-SWCNTs is greatly reduced by this process, in agreement with the relevant theoretical predictions. These findings could pave the way for fabricating large-scale SWCNT-based interconnects and electrodes in full-carbon integrated circuits.
authors.affiliation: Microelectronics Centre School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering Nanyang Technological University Characterization Lab, S1-B2C-20, 639798 Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stellacci
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Marzari
authors.forename: Lianxi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Zhaoyao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhan
mesh_terms: D008697:Methane / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D012666:Semiconductors; D014173:Transistors, Electronic
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; C030011:carbene; D008697:Methane