Tunable strain gauges based on two-dimensional silver nanowire networks.

Strain gauges are used in various applications such as wearable strain gauges and strain gauges in airplanes or structural health monitoring. Sensitivity of the strain gauge required varies, depending on the application of the strain gauge. This paper reports a tunable strain gauge based on a two-dimensional percolative network of silver nanowires. By varying the surface coverage of the nanowire network and the waviness of the nanowires in the network, the sensitivity of the strain gauge can be controlled. Hence, a tunable strain gauge can be engineered, based on demands of the application. A few applications are demonstrated. The strain gauge can be adhered to the human neck to detect throat movements and a glove integrated with such a strain gauge can detect the bending of the forefinger. Other classes of two-dimensional percolative networks of one-dimensional materials are also expected to exhibit similar tunable properties.

Films of Carbon Nanomaterials for Transparent Conductors.

The demand for transparent conductors is expected to grow rapidly as electronic devices, such as touch screens, displays, solid state lighting and photovoltaics become ubiquitous in our lives. Doped metal oxides, especially indium tin oxide, are the commonly used materials for transparent conductors. As there are some drawbacks to this class of materials, exploration of alternative materials has been conducted. There is an interest in films of carbon nanomaterials such as, carbon nanotubes and graphene as they exhibit outstanding properties. This article reviews the synthesis and assembly of these films and their post-treatment. These processes determine the film performance and understanding of this platform will be useful for future work to improve the film performance.

Effect of doping on single-walled carbon nanotubes network of different metallicity.

Effects of doping on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) networks with different metallicity are reported through the study of sheet resistance changes upon annealing and acid treatment. SWNT film with high metallic tube content is found to have relatively good chemical stability against post treatments, as demonstrated from its stable film performance in ambient after annealing, and merely 15% reduction in sheet resistance upon sulfuric acid treatment. Conversely, film stability of SWNT film with low metallic content which comprises largely of semiconducting SWNT varies with days in ambient, and its sheet resistance changes drastically after treated with acid, indicating the extreme sensitivity of semiconducting SWNT to surrounding environment. The results suggest that annealing removes unintentional oxygen doping from the ambient and shifts the Fermi level towards the intrinsic Fermi level. Acid treatment, on the other hand, introduces physisorbed and chemisorbed oxygen and shifts the Fermi level away from the intrinsic level and increases the hole doping.

Electroluminescence in aligned arrays of single-wall carbon nanotubes with asymmetric contacts.

High quantum efficiencies and low current thresholds are important properties for all classes of semiconductor light emitting devices (LEDs), including nanoscale emitters based on single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). Among the various configurations that can be considered in SWNT LEDs, two terminal geometries with asymmetric metal contacts offer the simplest solution. In this paper, we study, experimentally and theoretically, the mechanisms of electroluminescence in devices that adopt this design and incorporate perfectly aligned, horizontal arrays of individual SWNTs. The results suggest that exciton mediated electron-hole recombination near the lower work-function contact is the dominant source of photon emission. High current thresholds for electroluminescence in these devices result from diffusion and quenching of excitons near the metal contact.

Scaling properties in transistors that use aligned arrays of single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Recent studies and device demonstrations indicate that horizontally aligned arrays of linearly configured single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) can serve as an effective thin film semiconductor material, suitable for scalable use in high-performance transistors. This paper presents the results of systematic investigations of the dependence of device properties on channel length, to reveal the role of channel and contact resistance in the operation. The results indicate that, for the range of channel lengths and SWNT diameters studied here, source and drain contacts of Pd yield transistors with effectively Ohmic contacts that exhibit negligible dependence of their resistances on gate voltage. For devices that use Au, modulation of the resistance of the contacts represents a significant contribution to the response. Extracted values of the mobilities of the semiconducting SWNTs and the contact resistances associated with metallic and semiconducting SWNTs are consistent with previous reports on single tube test structures.

Electroluminescence from electrolyte-gated carbon nanotube field-effect transistors.

We demonstrate near-infrared electroluminescence from ambipolar, electrolyte-gated arrays of highly aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT). Using electrolytes instead of traditional oxide dielectrics in carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (FET) facilitates injection and accumulation of high densities of holes and electrons at very low gate voltages with minimal current hysteresis. We observe numerous emission spots, each corresponding to individual nanotubes in the array. The positions of these spots indicate the meeting point of the electron and hole accumulation zones determined by the applied gate and source-drain voltages. The movement of emission spots with gate voltage yields information about relative band gaps, contact resistance, defects, and interaction between carbon nanotubes within the array. Introducing thin layers of HfO(2) and TiO(2) provides a means to modify exciton screening without fundamentally changing the current-voltage characteristics or electroluminescence yield of these devices.

High-frequency performance of submicrometer transistors that use aligned arrays of single-walled carbon nanotubes.

The unique electronic properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) make them promising candidates for next generation electronics, particularly in systems that demand high frequency (e.g., radio frequency, RF) operation. Transistors that incorporate perfectly aligned, parallel arrays of SWNTs avoid the practical limitations of devices that use individual tubes, and they also enable comprehensive experimental and theoretical evaluation of the intrinsic properties. Thus, devices consisting of arrays represent a practical route to use of SWNTs for RF devices and circuits. The results presented here reveal many aspects of device operation in such array layouts, including full compatibility with conventional small signal models of RF response. Submicrometer channel length devices show unity current gain (f(t)) and unity power gain frequencies (f(max)) as high as approximately 5 and approximately 9 GHz, respectively, with measured scattering parameters (S-parameters) that agree quantitatively with calculation. The small signal models of the devices provide the essential intrinsic parameters: saturation velocities of 1.2 x 10(7) cm/s and intrinsic values of f(t) of approximately 30 GHz for a gate length of 700 nm, increasing with decreasing length. The results provide clear insights into the challenges and opportunities of SWNT arrays for applications in RF electronics.

DNA sensing by field-effect transistors based on networks of carbon nanotubes.

We report on the sensing mechanism of electrical detection of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) hybridization for Au- and Cr-contacted field effect transistors based on single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) networks. Barrier height extraction via low-temperature electrical measurement provides direct evidence for the notion that the energy level alignment between electrode and SWCNTs can be affected by DNA immobilization and hybridization. The study of location-selective capping using photoresist provides comprehensive evidence that the sensing of DNA is dominated by the change in metal-SWCNT junctions rather than the channel conductance.