Qualitative characterisation of contact strength between carbon nanotubes and electrodes

Abstract

Carbonnanotubes (CNTs) were aligned between microelectrodes by dielectrophoresis. Atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to manipulate the deposited CNTs, and the contact strength between CNTs and electrodes was qualitatively characterised by the level of difficulty for manipulation. The results show that unwelded CNTs were moved away easily by AFM tip, while the welded CNTs could resist the tip lateral force even if the CNTs were cut off by the tip. The improved mechanical property of the welded sample is attributed to the embedding of CNTs, which bonds reliably with the metal electrode. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.