Nanoscale investigation of the electrical properties in semiconductor polymer-carbon nanotube hybrid materials
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2026
Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics
Published on: September 28, 2016
Simon Desbief1, Noémie Hergué, Olivier Douhéret
1Laboratory for Chemistry for Novel Materials, Center of Innovation and Research in Materials and Polymers, University of Mons, UMONS/Materia Nova, Place du Parc 20, 7000 Mons, Belgium.
Abstract:
The morphology and electrical properties of hybrids of a semiconducting polymer (namely poly(3-hexylthiophene) P3HT) and carbon nanotubes are investigated at the nanoscale with a combination of Scanning Probe Microscopy techniques, i.e., Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy (C-AFM) and time-resolved Current Sensing Force Spectroscopy Atomic Force Microscopy (CSFS-AFM, or PeakForce TUNA™). This allows us to probe the electrical properties of the 15 nm wide P3HT nanofibers as well as the interface between the polymer and single carbon nanotubes. This is achieved by applying controlled, low forces on the tip during imaging, which allows a direct comparison between the morphology and the electrical properties at the nanometre scale.
