Electrical transport and electromigration studies on nickel encapsulated carbon nanotubes: possible future interconnects.

We nominate the nickel filled multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) as potential candidates to cope with challenges in persistent scaling for future interconnect technology. The insights into electrical transport through nickel filled carbon nanotubes provide an effective solution for major performance and reliability issues such as the increasing resistivity of metals at reduced scales, electromigration at high current densities and the problem of diffusion and corrosion faced by the existing copper interconnect technology. Furthermore, the nickel filled MWNTs outperform their hollow counterparts, the unfilled MWNTs, carrying at least one order higher current density, with increased time to failure.

Electrical transport and breakdown in graphene multilayers loaded with electron beam induced deposited platinum.

We demonstrate here the effect of electron beam induced deposited platinum on the electrical transport through multilayer graphene sheets. Platinum metal is deposited at different positions on the graphene multilayers, i.e.

Graphene supported nickel nanoparticle as a viable replacement for platinum in dye sensitized solar cells.

A platinum free counter electrode for dye sensitized solar cells was developed using graphene platelets (GP) supported nickel nanoparticles (NPs) as the active catalyst. Few layered GP were prepared by chemical oxidation of graphite powders followed by thermal exfoliation and reduction. The nanoparticles of nickel were deposited directly onto the platelets by pulsed laser ablation.

Graphene supported platinum nanoparticle counter-electrode for enhanced performance of dye-sensitized solar cells.

Composites of few layered graphene (G) and platinum (Pt) nanoparticles (NP) with different loadings of Pt were used as counter electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). NPs were deposited directly on to G using pulsed laser ablation method (PLD). DSSCs formed using the composite CEs show improved performance compared to conventional Pt thin film electrode (Std Pt) and unsupported Pt NPs.

Facile one-step transfer process of graphene.

Chemical vapour deposition (CVD) is emerging as a popular method for growing large-area graphene on metal substrates. For transferring graphene to other substrates the technique generally used involves deposition of a polymer support with subsequent etching of the metal substrate. Here we report a simpler one-step transfer process.

Healing of broken multiwalled carbon nanotubes using very low energy electrons in SEM: a route toward complete recovery.

We report the healing of electrically broken multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) using very low energy electrons (3-10 keV) in scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Current-induced breakdown caused by Joule heating has been achieved by applying suitably high voltages. The broken tubes were examined and exposed to electrons of 3-10 keV in situ in SEM with careful maneuvering of the electron beam at the broken site, which results in the mechanical joining of the tube.

Enhanced field emission and improved supercapacitor obtained from plasma-modified bucky paper.

The surface morphology of bucky papers (BPs) made from single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is modified by plasma treatment resulting in the formation of vertical microstructures on the surface. The shapes of these structures are either pillarlike or conelike depending on whether the gas used during plasma treatment is Ar or CH(4) . A complex interplay between different factors, such as the electric field within the plasma sheath, polarization of the CNT, intertubular cohesive forces, and ion bombardment, result in the formation of these structures.

Dramatic enhancement of the emission current density from carbon nanotube based nanosize tips with extremely low onset fields.

Nanostructures based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) are fabricated using plasma of the mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen gases. The plasma-sharpened tips of nanotubes contain only a few tubes at the apex of the structure and lead to the dramatic enhancement in the emission current density by a factor >10(6) with the onset field as low as 0.16 V/microm.