Rate-selected growth of ultrapure semiconducting carbon nanotube arrays.

ABSTRACT: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are promising candidates for smart electronic devices. However, it is challenging to mediate their bandgap or chirality from a vapor-liquid-solid growth process. Here, we demonstrate rate-selected semiconducting CNT arrays based on interlocking between the atomic assembly rate and bandgap of CNTs. Rate analysis confirms the Schulz-Flory distribution which leads to various decay rates as length increases in metallic and semiconducting CNTs. Quantitatively, a nearly ten-fold faster decay rate of metallic CNTs leads to a spontaneous purification of the predicted 99.9999% semiconducting CNTs at a length of 154?mm, and the longest CNT can be 650?mm through an optimized reactor. Transistors fabricated on them deliver a high current of 14??A??m-1 with on/off ratio around 108 and mobility over 4000?cm2?V-1?s-1. Our rate-selected strategy offers more freedom to control the CNT purity in-situ and offers a robust methodology to synthesize perfectly assembled nanotubes over a long scale.

SUBMITTER: Zhu Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6775125 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature