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Dry Oxidation and Vacuum Annealing Treatments for Tuning the Wetting Properties of Carbon Nanotube Arrays
Published on: April 15, 2013
Oxygen desorption from single-walled carbon nanotubes by camera flash
Zheng Liu1, Guangtong Liu, Yuanchun Zhao
1National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China, Beijing 100080, China.
Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
|May 16, 2009
Summary
Illuminating single-walled carbon nanotubes networks with a camera flash in high vacuum causes their electrical conductance to decrease. This effect is attributed to the photodesorption of molecular oxygen from the nanotube surfaces.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) exhibit unique electrical properties.
- Surface interactions significantly influence the conductivity of nanomaterials.
- Molecular oxygen is known to adsorb onto carbon nanotube surfaces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of light illumination on the electrical conductance of SWCNT networks.
- To elucidate the mechanism behind the observed changes in electrical conductance.
- To explore the role of adsorbed molecules, specifically oxygen, in SWCNT network conductivity.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of single-walled carbon nanotubes networks.
- Measurement of electrical conductance under high vacuum conditions (up to 10(-6) Torr).
- Controlled illumination using a camera flash.
- Comparative experiments conducted in air, oxygen, and nitrogen environments.
Main Results:
- Electrical conductance of SWCNT networks decreased upon illumination.
- The conductance decrease exhibited step-like characteristics with each illumination event.
- The magnitude of conductance change diminished with successive illuminations, eventually reaching saturation.
- Controlled experiments confirmed that the phenomenon is linked to molecular oxygen.
Conclusions:
- The observed decrease in electrical conductance is primarily due to the photodesorption of molecular oxygen from the SWCNT surfaces.
- Light-induced desorption of oxygen significantly impacts the electrical properties of SWCNT networks.
- Understanding these surface interactions is crucial for applications of SWCNTs in sensing and electronic devices.
