Many potential applications have been proposed for carbon nanotubes, including conductive and high-strength composites; energy storage and energy conversion devices; sensors; field emission displays and radiation sources; hydrogen storage media; and nanometer-sized semiconductor devices, probes, and interconnects. Some of these applications are now realized in products. Others are demonstrated in early to advanced devices, and one, hydrogen storage, is clouded by controversy. Nanotube cost, polydispersity in nanotube type, and limitations in processing and assembly methods are important barriers for some applications of single-walled nanotubes.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/297/5582/787.full.pdf

Carbon Nanotubes--the Route Toward Applications

/pdf/self-assembled-monolayers-of-thiolates-on-metals-as-a-form-1neb0hj3k4.pdf

Self-assembled monolayers of thiolates on metals as a form of nanotechnology.

The interest in nanoscale materials stems from the fact that new properties are acquired at this length scale and, equally important, that these properties * To whom correspondence should be addressed. Phone, 404-8940292; fax, 404-894-0294; e-mail, mostafa.el-sayed@ chemistry.gatech.edu. † Case Western Reserve UniversitysMillis 2258. ‡ Phone, 216-368-5918; fax, 216-368-3006; e-mail, burda@case.edu. § Georgia Institute of Technology. 1025 Chem. Rev. 2005, 105, 1025−1102

Chemistry and properties of nanocrystals of different shapes.

Raman spectroscopy of graphene and graphite: Disorder, electron phonon coupling, doping and nonadiabatic effects

https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/schools/cas_sites/physics/pdf/Ren/p85.pdf

Advances in the science and technology of carbon nanotubes and their composites: a review

The ultimate device miniaturization would be to use individual molecules as functional devices. Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are promising candidates for achieving this: depending on their diameter and chirality, they are either one-dimensional metals or semiconductors1,2. Single-electron transistors employing metallic nanotubes3,4 and field-effect transistors employing semiconducting nanotubes5 have been demonstrated. Intramolecular devices have also been proposed which should display a range of other device functions6,7,8,9,10,11. For example, by introducing a pentagon and a heptagon into the hexagonal carbon lattice, two tube segments with different atomic and electronic structures can be seamlessly fused together to create intramolecular metal–metal, metal–semiconductor, or semiconductor–semiconductor junctions. Here we report electrical transport measurements on SWNTs with intramolecular junctions. We find that a metal–semiconductor junction behaves like a rectifying diode with nonlinear transport characteristics that are strongly asymmetric with respect to bias polarity. In the case of a metal–metal junction, the conductance appears to be strongly suppressed and it displays a power-law dependence on temperatures and applied voltage, consistent with tunnelling between the ends of two Luttinger liquids. Our results emphasize the need to consider screening and electron interactions when designing and modelling molecular devices. Realization of carbon-based molecular electronics will require future efforts in the controlled production of these intramolecular nanotube junctions.

Carbon nanotube intramolecular junctions

Using low-resistance electrical contacts, we have measured the intrinsic high-field transport properties of metallic single-wall carbon nanotubes. Individual nanotubes appear to be able to carry currents with a density exceeding 10(9) A/cm(2). As the bias voltage is increased, the conductance drops dramatically due to scattering of electrons. We show that the current-voltage characteristics can be explained by considering optical or zone-boundary phonon emission as the dominant scattering mechanism at high field.

/pdf/high-field-electrical-transport-in-single-wall-carbon-4dmtx95cyn.pdf

High-field electrical transport in single-wall carbon nanotubes

Room-temperature single-electron transistors are realized within individual metallic single-wall carbon nanotube molecules. The devices feature a short (down to ∼20 nanometers) nanotube section that is created by inducing local barriers into the tube with an atomic force microscope. Coulomb charging is observed at room temperature, with an addition energy of 120 millielectron volts, which substantially exceeds the thermal energy. At low temperatures, we resolve the quantum energy levels corresponding to the small island. We observe unconventional power-law dependencies in the measured transport properties for which we suggest a resonant tunneling Luttinger-liquid mechanism.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/293/5527/76.full.pdf

Carbon Nanotube Single-Electron Transistors at Room Temperature

Using an atomic force microscope we have created nanotube junctions such as buckles and crossings within individual single-wall metallic carbon nanotubes connected to metallic electrodes. The electronic transport properties of these manipulated structures show that they form electronic tunnel junctions. The conductance shows power-law behavior as a function of bias voltage and temperature, which can be well modeled by a Luttinger liquid model for tunneling between two nanotube segments separated by the manipulated junction.

/pdf/electrical-transport-through-carbon-nanotube-junctions-3ctycuaun0.pdf

Zhen Yao

Papers

Carbon nanotube intramolecular junctions

High-field electrical transport in single-wall carbon nanotubes

Carbon Nanotube Single-Electron Transistors at Room Temperature

Electrical transport through carbon nanotube junctions created by mechanical manipulation

Carbon Nanotube Single‐Electron Transistors at Room Temperature.