Abstract
Electrical transport properties of individual metallic double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) were measured down to liquid helium temperature, and multi-stable conductance states were found in DWCNTs. At a certain temperature, DWCNTs can switch continuously between two or more electronic states, but below certain temperature, DWCNTs are stable only at one of them. The temperature for switching is always different from tube to tube, and even different from thermal cycle to cycle for the same tube. In addition to thermal activation, gate voltage scanning can also realize such switching among different electronic states. The multi-stable conductance states in metallic DWCNTs can be attributed to different Fermi level or occasional scattering centers induced by different configurations between their inner and outer tubes.
Highlights
It is well established that the electrical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are sensitive to their nanostructures such as diameters, chiralities, defects, etc. [1,2,3,4,5]
The temperature for switching is always different from tube to tube, and even different from thermal cycle to cycle for the same tube
In addition to thermal activation, gate voltage scanning can realize such switching among different electronic states. This electrical behavior of double-walled CNTs (DWCNTs) is like the two level fluctuations or random telegraph signals observed in tunnel junctions, metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), and FETs based on p-type semiconducting single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs)
Summary
It is well established that the electrical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are sensitive to their nanostructures such as diameters, chiralities, defects, etc. [1,2,3,4,5]. This electrical behavior of DWCNTs is like the two level fluctuations or random telegraph signals observed in tunnel junctions, metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), and FETs based on p-type semiconducting SWCNTs. It can be attributed to different configurations or small movement between their inner and outer tubes under the equilibrium of the van der Waals interaction between layers with the elastic force of the graphene layers, which can affect the electronic structures of DWCNTs by shifting the Fermi level or inducing occasional electron scattering centers.
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