NIRT: Electrical and Mechanical Properties of Boron and Metal-boride Nanowires, and Nanoscale Devices Built from them

华盛顿大学的这项为期四年的纳米尺度跨学科研究团队(NIRT)项目由William E.Buhro教授担任首席研究员，致力于从元素硼和金属硼化物中寻找一种新的一维纳米结构家族。这些纳米材料有望具有与碳纳米管相当甚至超过的机械强度、化学和热稳定性以及电(金属)导电性。硼和金属-硼化物纳米结构将是纳米电子和纳米电化学器件中纳米级电互连和半导体元件的理想候选者。可采用的合成方法包括催化化学气相沉积(CVD)和等离子体技术。纳米管和纳米晶须的机械性能将在扫描电子显微镜的机械测试阶段进行测量。将使用华盛顿大学开发的纳米电子测试阶段来研究电传输特性。

This four-year Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team (NIRT) project at Washington University, with Professor William E. Buhro as principal investigator, pursues a new family of one-dimensional nanostructures form elemental boron and metal-borides. These nanomaterials are expected to posses mechanical strengths, chemical and thermal stabilities, and electrical (metallic) conductivities comparable to or even surpassing those of carbon nanotubes. Boron and metal-boride nanostructures will be ideal candidates for nanoscale electrical interconnects and semi-conducting components in nanoelectronic and nano-electrochemical devices. Synthetic methods to be employed include catalyzed chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and plasma techniques. Mechanical properties of nanotubes and nanowhiskers will be measured on mechanical-testing stages of scanning transmission electron microscope. Electrical-transport properties will be studied using the nanoelectronic-testing stage developed at Washington University.