Single wall carbon nanotubes and their electrical properties

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were synthesized and purified. A water colloid of SWCNTs was prepared and used to assemble SWCNTs onto a gold film surface. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images showed that short SWCNTs stood on gold film surfaces. Using STM tips made of SWCNTs, a crystal grain image of a gold thin film and an atomic resolution image of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite were successfully obtained. The electrical properties of short SWCNTs, which stood on the surface of gold film, were measured using STM. That SWCNTs stand on gold thin films is a promising technique for studying structures and properties of carbon nanotubes, as well as assembling and fabricating high-intensity coherent electron sources, field emission flat panel display, tips for scanning probe microscopes, new nanoelectronic devices, etc.