Electronic Sensitivity of Carbon Nanotubes to Internal Water Wetting

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2011 · ACS Nano

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/nn200251z· OSTI ID:1096274

Cao, Di ^[1]; Pang, Pei ^[1]; He, Jin ^[1]; Luo, Tao ^[1]; Park, Jae Hyun nmn ^[2]; Krstic, Predrag S ^[2]; Nuckolls, Colin ^[3]; Tang, Jinyao ^[3]; Lindsay, Stuart ^[1]

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1. Arizona State University
2. ORNL
3. Columbia University

We have constructed devices in which the interior of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) field-effect transistor acts as a nanofluidic channel that connects two fluid reservoirs, permitting measurement of the electronic properties of the SWCNT as it is wetted by an analyte. Wetting of the inside of the SWCNT by water turns the transistor on, while wetting of the outside has little effect. These observations are consistent with theoretical simulations that show that internal water both generates a large dipole electric field, causing charge polarization of the tube and metal electrodes, and shifts the valance band of the SWCNT, while external water has little effect.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1096274
• Journal Information: ACS Nano, Vol. 5, Issue 4; ISSN 1936-0851
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English