Heterojunctions between metals and carbon nanotubes as ultimate nanocontacts

Julio A. Rodriguez-Manzo, Florian Banhart, Mauricio Terrones, Humberto Terrones, Nicole Grobert, Pulickel M. Ajayan, Bobby G. Sumpter, Vincent Meunier, Mingsheng Wang, Yoshio Bando, Dmitri Golberg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

107 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report the controlled formation and characterization of het- erojunctions between carbon nanotubes and different metal nanocrystals (Fe, Co, Ni, and FeCo). The heterojunctions are formed from metal-filled multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) via intense electron beam irradiation at temperatures in the range of 450700 °C and observed in situ in a transmission electron microscope. Under irradiation, the segregation of metal and carbon atoms occurs, leading to the formation of heterojunctions between metal and graphite. Metallic conductivity of the metal-nanotube junctions was found by using in situ transport measurements in an electron microscope. Density functional calculations show that these structures are mechanically strong, the bonding at the interface is covalent, and the electronic states at and around the Fermi level are delocalized across the entire system. These properties are essential for the application of such heterojunctions as contacts in electronic devices and vital for the fabrication of robust nanotube-metal composite materials.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4591-4595
Number of pages5
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume106
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 24 2009

Keywords

  • Composites
  • Conductivity electron microscopy
  • Interfacial interactions
  • Nanoelectronics

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