In this study, we investigated the chemical functionalization of carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT–COOH) by 1-Amino-2-naphthol-4-sulfonic acid (ANSA). The functionalized MWCNTs exhibited good aqueous solubility due to the presence of the –OH and – SO3H groups of ANSA. The antimicrobial activity of the MWCNT–COOH as well as its functionalized multiwall nanotube MWCNT-CO-2-(1-amino...

We exploit the remarkable low-friction bearing capabilities of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) to realize nanoelectromechanical switches. Our switches consist of two open-ended MWNT segments separated by a nanometer-scale gap. Switching occurs through electrostatically actuated sliding of the inner nanotube shells to close the gap, producing a conducting ON state. For double-walled nanotub...

In this work we present the fabrication and characterization of immunosensors based on polystyrene (PS)-multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites. The electrochemical properties of the sensors have been investigated and show that the surface area is increased upon addition of the MWCNT-PS layer. Furthermore, a plasma activation process is used to partially remove the PS and expose the MWCN...

We report electrical transport experiments, using the phenomenon of electrical breakdown to perform thermometry, that probe the thermal properties of individual multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Our results show that nanotubes can readily conduct heat by ballistic phonon propagation. We determine the thermal conductance quantum, the ultimate limit to thermal conductance for a single phonon channel,...

We demonstrate controllable fabrication of Ag nanoparticle (NP)-decorated reduced graphene oxide (RGO/Ag) hybrids and their application for fast and selective detection of ammonia at room temperature. Ag NPs greatly improved the sensitivity of RGO. The response time (6 s) and recovery time (10 s) are comparable with our previous Ag NP-decorated multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT/Ag) NH3 sensors...

Laser Doppler vibrometry is used to measure the thermal vibration spectra of individual multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) under ambient conditions. Since the entire vibration spectrum is measured with high frequency resolution, the resonant frequencies and quality factors of the MWNTs are accurately determined, allowing for estimates of their elastic moduli. Because the diameters of the MWNT...

We have measured the thermal conductivity of an individual multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) using a microfabricated suspended device. The observed thermal conductivity is more than 3000W/K-m at room temperature, which is two orders of magnitude higher than the estimation from previous experiments that used macroscopic mat samples. In addition, the temperature distributions in electrically hea...

The mechanical properties of materials in small rod-shaped form are of considerable technological interest since, due to their shape and size, they can exhibit appreciably greater strength relative to corresponding macroscopic forms. For example, the mechanical strength of silicon carbide whiskers systematically increases with decreasing whisker diameter over the 100 to 1 micron range. This phe...

Nanoscale electronics seeks to decrease the critical dimension of devices in order to improve performance while reducing power consumption. Single-walled carbon nanotubes fit well with this strategy because, in addition to their molecular size, they demonstrate a number of unique electronic, mechanical and electromechanical properties. In particular, theory predicts that strain can have a large...