An Introduction to Carbon

Nanotubes
John Sinclair

Outline

History
Geometry

Electronic Properties

Field Effect Transistors

Quantum Wires

Physical Properties

Rollup Vector
Metallicity

Ropes

Separation

Introduction

High Aspect Ratio

Carbon
nanomaterial

Family inclues Bucky

Balls and Graphene

Single Wall Carbon

Nanotubes
(SWCNT)
Multiwall Carbon
Nanotubes
(MWCNT)

History

1952 L. V. Radushkevich and V. M. Lukyanovich

1991-1992 The Watershed

50 nm MWCNT Published in Soviet Journal of

Physical Chemistry
Cold War hurt impact of discovery
Some work done before 1991 but not a hot topic
Iijima discovers MWCNT in arc burned rods
Mintmire, Dunlap, and Whites predict amazing
electronic and physical properties

1993 Bethune and Iijima independently discover

SWCNT

Add Transition metal to Arc Discharge method

(same method as Bucky Balls)

Geometry

Rollup Vector

Chiral Angle

(n,m)
n-m=3d

tan() = 3m/
(2(n2+m2+nm))

Arm Chair (n,n),

=30
Zig-zag (n,0),
=0
Chiral, 0< <30

Field Effect Transistors

FETs work because of applied

voltage on gate changes the
amount of majority carriers
decreasing Source-Drain
Current
SWCNT and MWCNT used

Differences will be discussed

Gold Electrodes
Holes main carriers

Positive applied voltage should

reduce current

SWCNT Transport Properties

Current shape consistent

with FET
Bias VSD = 10 mA
G(S) conductance varies
by ~5 orders of
magnitude
Mobility and Hole
concentration
determined to be large

Q=CVG,T (VG,T voltage to

deplete CNT of holes)
C calculated from
physical parameters of
CNT
p=Q/eL

MWCNT Transport Properties

MWCNT performance
is poor without
defects

See arrow for twists

in collapsed MWCNT

MWCNT has
characteristic shape of
FET
Hole density similar to
SWCNT but Mobility
determined to be
higher

Determined same as
above

FET Conclusions

Higher carrier density than graphite

Mobility similar to heavily p-doped
silicon
Conductance can be modulated by
~5 orders of magnitude in SWCNT
MWCNT FET only possible after
structural deformation

Quantum Wires

SWCNT Armchair
tubes
SWCNT deposited
over two
electrodes

Electrode
resistance
determined with
four point probe
and found to be ~
1 M

Coulomb Charging

Contact Resistance
Lower than
Rquantum=h/e2~26 k

C very low s.t.

EC=e2/2C very large

If EC <<kT, Current
only flows when
Vbias>EC

Various gate V taken

into account
Step-like conductance

Quantum Wire

Strongly Temperature
dependent conduction curve

Occurs when a discrete

electron level tunnels
resonantly though Ef of
electrode
If electron levels of SWCNT
where continuous peak would
be constant

E levels separated by E
The resonant tunneling
implies that the electrons are
being transported phase
coherently in a single
molecular orbital for at least
the distance of the electrodes
(140 nm)

Physical Properties of Ropes

SWCNT rope laid on

ultra-filtration
membrane
AFM tip applies force
to measure Shear
Modulus G and
Reduced Elastic
Modulus Er

Er = Elastic Modulus
when Searing is
negligible

Displacement of
tube/Force was
measured and Er and
G where calculated

Summary of Results

Typical Values

Gdia ~ 478 GPa

Ggla ~ 26.2 GPa

Er-dia ~ 1220 GPa

Er-gla ~ 65-90 GPa

Conclusion On Physical Properties

Shear properties of SWCNT lacking

(Even compared to MWCNT ropes)
Elastic properties very promising

Synthesis and Seperation

One major reason CNT devices have been

so hard to scale up to industry uses is due
to the inability to efficiently separate
different species of CNT

Different types are produced randomly with

1/3 conducting 2/3 semiconducting

It has now been reported that with the

use of structure-discriminating surfactants
one can isolate a batch of CNT such that
>97% CNT within 0.02 nm diameter

Overview of Technique

Surfactants change buoyancy

properties of CNT
Ultra-centrifugation techniques
(which are scale-able) are used to
separate different CNT
Effective separation is seen
Separation

according to metallicity
Separation according to diameter

Conclusion

CNT devices show promise in

molecular electronics both as wires
and FET
Physical properties are very
promising being both strong and
light
Separation techniques continue to
be developed to allow companies to
make CNT devices

Sources

M. S. DRESSELHAUS, G. DRESSELHAUS, and R. SAITO.

Carbon 33, 7 (1995)
R. Martel, T. Schmidt, H. R. Shea, T. Hertel, and Ph.
Avourisa. App. Phys. Lett. 73, 17 (1998)
Sander J. Tans, Michel H. Devoret et al. Nature 386,
474-477 (1997)
Jean-Paul Salvetat et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 5 (1999)
MICHAEL S. ARNOLD et al. Nature Nanotechnology 1,
60-65 (2006)
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