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(Invited) Electronic Measurements of Single- and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: Evidence for Unusual Behavior at Nanotube-Nanotube Junctions

Tuesday, 30 May 2017: 16:20
Churchill B1 (Hilton New Orleans Riverside)
A. R. Barron (Rice University), C. Barnett, and C. Gowenlock (Swansea University)
The use of a UHV nanoprobe allows for simultaneous electrical measurements of individual and bundles of carbon nanotubes while performing STM, SEM and Auger. The Four probe tips can be accurately positioned on to a one-dimensional nanostructure such as a nanotube to perform measurements of resistivity and electrical transport properties at low temperatures, while their exact position can be determined. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been investigated. In particular, the effects of conductivity as a function of the presence or absence of a junction have been investigated. The effects of probe pressure and thermal annealing have been measured, as has the application of pressure to the nanotube. For MWNTs a resistance per unit distance of 4 kΩ/μm has been determined that matches theoretical models. Interestingly, resistance is independent of path at a MWCNT-MWCNT junction; however, there is a 100x increase in resistance at the point of the junction.