Manipulation, Assembly, and Electronic Properties of Carbon Nanotubes

这是一个以实验为重点的研究小组项目，致力于研究碳纳米管的操纵、组装和电子特性。目标是找到用纳米管制造和组装简单电路的方法，并评估其特性。莱斯大学的研究小组和法国蒙彼利埃的CNRS小组将合成单壁纳米管样品，并为这些研究提供样品。实验项目将使用x射线衍射和电子显微镜对样品进行结构表征，探索化学掺杂对电子特性的修饰，并使用先进的电子显微镜和扫描探针操作开发纳米管衍生结构的分离、操作和组装的新方案。将开发新的方法来建立管衍生结构的电接触。这些结构中的电子现象的理论将被研究，重点是理解管团和管束中管间相互作用的影响，以及管之间的接触和连接对实验观察到的电子性质的影响。该研究项目是跨学科的，涉及一名或多名博士后和研究生，他们接受了良好的培训，为工业、政府实验室或学术界的职业生涯做准备。这个以实验为重点的研究小组项目旨在探索用“纳米管”制造纳米级电子器件的方法。纳米管是由碳原子组成的空心圆柱体，排列成类似于石墨（铅笔芯）的化学键。纳米管与“巴基球”密切相关，巴基球是由60个碳原子组成的空心球，排列方式类似于（纳米级）足球。一纳米是一米的十亿分之一，或者大约是10个原子直径，或者大约是人类头发直径的2000万分之一。纳米管是电导体，被认为具有未来纳米级电子技术的潜力。本课题主要研究碳纳米管的操作、组装和电子特性。目标是找到用纳米管制造和组装简单电路的方法，并评估其特性。莱斯大学的研究小组和法国蒙彼利埃的CNRS小组将合成单壁纳米管样品，并为这些研究提供样品。实验项目将使用x射线衍射和电子显微镜对样品进行结构表征，探索化学掺杂对电子特性的修饰，并使用先进的电子显微镜和扫描探针操作开发纳米管衍生结构的分离、操作和组装的新方案。将开发新的方法来建立管衍生结构的电接触。这些结构中的电子现象的理论将被研究，重点是理解管团和管束中管间相互作用的影响，以及管之间的接触和连接对实验观察到的电子性质的影响。该研究项目是跨学科的，涉及一名或多名博士后和研究生，他们接受了良好的培训，为工业、政府实验室或学术界的职业生涯做准备。* * *

w:\awards\awards96\*.doc 9802560 Johnson This experimental focused research group project is devoted to manipulation, assembly and electronic properties of carbon nanotubes. The goals are to find ways to fabricate and assemble simple circuits from nanotubes, and to assess the properties. Samples of single wall nanotubes will be synthesized and supplied for these studies by research groups at Rice University and the CNRS group at Montpellier, France. The experimental program will structurally characterize samples using X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy, explore modification of the electronic properties by chemical doping, and develop new protocols for separation, manipulation, and assembly of nanotube-derived structures using advanced electron microscopy and scanning probe manipulation. New methods for establishing electrical contact to tube-derived structures will be developed. Theory of the electronic phenomena in these structures willl be studied with an emphasis on understanding the effects of intertube interactions in tube clusters and tube bundles, and the effects of contacts and linkages between tubes on the experimentally observed electronic properties. This research program is interdisciplinary in nature and involves one or more postdoctoral and graduate students, who receive excellent training in preparation for careers in industry, government laboratories or academia. %%% This experimental focused research group project seeks to explore ways of making nano-meter -scale electron devices from "nanotubes". Nanotubes are hollow cylinders of carbon atoms, arranged in chemical bonds similar to those in graphite (pencil lead). Nanotubes are closely related to "buckyballs", which are hollow balls composed of 60 carbon atoms, arranged in a fashion resembling a (nano-meter-scale) soccer ball. A nanometer is one bil lionth of a meter, or about 10 atomic diameters or about 20 millionths of the diameter of a human hair. Nanotubes are electrical conductors and are considered to have potential for a nano-meter scale electronics technology of the future. This research project is devoted to manipulation, assembly and electronic properties of carbon nanotubes. The goals are to find ways to fabricate and assemble simple circuits from nanotubes, and to assess the properties. Samples of single wall nanotubes will be synthesized and supplied for these studies by research groups at Rice University and by the CNRS group at Montpellier, France. The experimental program will structurally characterize samples using X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy, explore modification of the electronic properties by chemical doping, and develop new protocols for separation, manipulation, and assembly of nanotube-derived structures using advanced electron microscopy and scanning probe manipulation. New methods for establishing electrical contact to tube-derived structures will be developed. Theory of the electronic phenomena in these structures willl be studied with an emphasis on understanding the effects of intertube interactions in tube clusters and tube bundles, and the effects of contacts and linkages between tubes on the experimentally observed electronic properties. This research program is interdisciplinary in nature and involves one or more postdoctoral and graduate students, who receive excellent training in preparation for careers in industry, government laboratories or academia. ***