Code, Creations, and Circuits

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are cylindrical nanostructures made of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. They have unique electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties that make them pretty neat. One of the most exciting applications is use in nanoelectronics, where they can be used as conductive wires and transistors that are nanometers in size. This could lead to smaller, faster, and more efficient electronic devices.

CNTs can be either metallic or semiconducting depending on their structure, and doping can further modify their electrical properties. So I created different nanotubes with varying diameters, chralities, and doping levels (N, and P) to see how they affect their electrical properties.

I created the nanotubes using chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and doped them with nitrogen and phosphorus to create n-type and p-type semiconducting nanotubes. The chirality and size of the nanotubes were controlled by adjusting the growth conditions during the CVD process. I then measured their electrical properties using a four-point probe method to determine their conductivity and carrier mobility. The results showed that the metallic CNTs had high conductivity, while the semiconducting CNTs had lower conductivity but could be used as transistors. The doped CNTs showed improved conductivity compared to the undoped semiconducting CNTs, indicating that doping can enhance their electrical properties.

In the future, I would like to look into different doping methods, and I’ve even seen some work where they’re adding groups to the surface of the nanotubes to modify their properties. I also want to explore the use of CNTs in 3d printing, maybe infusing the PLA with enough CNTs could make it conductive and allow for printing of circuits.