CAREER: Imaging Electrical Transport in Carbon Nanostructures

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****NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT****This Faculty Early Career Award supports an integrated research and education project to study the fundamental electronic properties of carbon based nanostructures using scanning probe microscopy. The research will focus on two carbon nanostructures: graphene, which is a two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms and carbon nanotubes, which are one-dimensional, wire-like structures. These carbon nanostructures are candidates to replace silicon in future semiconductor technologies. Beyond their potential technological applications, these carbon materials exhibit many unique electronic properties due to their one and two-dimensional nature. By using scanning probe microscopy, this project will directly visualize, probe and control their unique electronic properties with nanometer scale resolution. The education portion of the project will bring the results of the research to local students through collaboration with the Physics Factory, which is a local non-profit organization. Undergraduate students will serve as mentors for high school students in order to build demonstrations of the research as well as other nanoscience topics. The demonstrations will be used by the Physics Factory during trips to K-12 schools. This collaboration will allow high school students through graduate students to be involved in the cutting-edge research. The results of the research will also be used in a new course for undergraduates focusing on experimental aspects of nanoscience.**** TECHNICAL ABSTRACT****This Faculty Early Career Award funds an integrated research and education project to study the fundamental electronic properties of carbon based nanostructures using scanning probe microscopy. The research will focus on single-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene which both exhibit unique electronic properties. In carbon nanotubes, the project will study aspects related to their one-dimensional nature such as spin-charge separation, reduced screening and inelastic scattering. In graphene, the project will look for ways to enable new functionality through the use of strain and electric fields. By combining scanning probe microscopy with electrical transport measurements, these electronic properties can be studied on the nanometer length scale. The research will be integrated with an outreach program to local K-12 schools. This will be accomplished through collaboration with a local non-profit organization, the Physics Factory. This project will enable the creation of a set of demonstrations about the research as well as broader areas of nanoscience to be used by the Physics Factory during visits to K-12 schools. The results of the research will also be used in a new course for undergraduates focusing on experimental aspects of nanoscience.