Preferential growth of pure single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) over multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) was demonstrated at low temperature by water plasma chemical vapor deposition. Water plasma lowered the growth temperature down to 450 degrees C, and the grown nanotubes were single-walled without carbonaceous impurities and MWNTs. The preferential growth of pure SWNTs over MWNTs was pr...

Carbon nanotubes are potentially ideal atomic force microscopy probes because they can have diameters as small as one nanometer, have robust mechanical properties, and can be specifically functionalized with chemical and biological probes at the tip ends. This communication describes methods for the direct growth of carbon nanotube tips by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using ethylene and iron...

Carrier transport characteristics in high-efficiency single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs)/silicon (Si) hybrid solar cells are presented. The solar cells were fabricated by depositing intrinsic p-type SWNT thin-films on n-type Si wafers without involving any high-temperature process for p-n junction formation. The optimized cells showed a device ideality factor close to unity and a record-high...

We report experimental measurements of electronic Raman scattering by electrons (holes) in individual single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) under resonant conditions. The Raman scattering at low frequency range reveals a single particle excitation feature. And the dispersion of electronic structure around the center of Brillouin zone of a semiconducting SWNT (14, 13) is extracted.

Results are presented of in situ studies of the thermoelectric power and four-probe resistance of single-walled carbon nanotube films during the adsorption of cyclic hydrocarbons C(6)H(2n) (n=3-6). The size of the change in these transport parameters is found to be related to the pi electron population of the molecule, suggesting the coupling between these pi electrons and those in the nanotube...

In the liquid-based dip-coating, the hydrophilicity of a Si/SiO(2) substrate is found to be critical for the successful deposition of catalyst and hence the growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). When the surface is functionalized by a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) and becomes hydrophobic, no catalyst remains and no SWNT grows. This concept can be utilized to localize the growth of ...

Existing single-walled carbon nanotube synthesis methods are not easily scalable, operate under severe conditions, and involve high capital and operating costs. The current cost of SWNT is exceedingly high. A catalytic method of synthesis has been developed that has shown potential advantages over the existing methods. This method is based on a catalyst formulation that inhibits the formation o...

We have investigated the photoluminescence (PL) of in individual single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) placed in field-effect transistor structures to study carrier transport in the SWNT. The relation between the recombination lifetime and carrier transit time has been evaluated from the drain-field dependence of PL intensity. Time-resolved photoluminescence of SWNTs dispersed in surfactant so...

In spite of the outstanding properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), the coexistence of metallic and semiconducting SWNTs as a result of synthesis has hindered their electronic and photonic applications. We demonstrate a pump-probe microscopy method for fast, contact-free mapping of metallicity in individual SWNTs. We employ the phase of transient absorption as a contrast to discri...

Three different carbon-based counter electrodes are investigated in light of catalytic activities such as electrochemical frequencies and interface impedances. We fabricated carbon-based counter electrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells [DSSCs] using graphene, single-walled carbon nanotubes [SWNTs], and graphene-SWNT composites by electrophoretic deposition method. We observed the optical and el...