title: Wall-selective probing of double-walled carbon nanotubes using covalent functionalization.
abstract: Double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) present an original coaxial geometry in which the inner wall is naturally protected from the environment by the outer wall. Covalent functionalization is introduced here as an effective approach to investigate DWNT devices. Performed using an aryldiazonium salt, the functionalization is reversible upon thermal annealing and occurs strictly at the surface of the outer wall, leaving the inner wall essentially unaltered by the chemical bonding. Measurements on functionalized DWNT transistors show that the electrical current is carried by the inner wall and provide unambiguous identification of the metallic or semiconducting character of both walls. New insights about current saturation at high bias in DWNTs are also presented as an illustration of new experiments unlocked by the method. The wall-selectivity of the functionalization not only enables selective optical and electrical probing of the DWNTs, but it also paves the way to designing novel electronic devices in which the inner wall is used for electrical transport while the outer wall chemically interacts with the environment.
authors: Département de Physique, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128 Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada.
authors: Delphine
authors: D
authors: Bouilly
authors: Janie
authors: J
authors: Cabana
authors: François
authors: F
authors: Meunier
authors: Maxime
authors: M
authors: Desjardins-Carrière
authors: François
authors: F
authors: Lapointe
authors: Philippe
authors: P
authors: Gagnon
authors: Francis L
authors: FL
authors: Larouche
authors: Elyse
authors: E
authors: Adam
authors: Matthieu
authors: M
authors: Paillet
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Martel