Electronic mean free path in as-produced and purified single-wall carbon nanotubes

TL;DR

This study investigates how purification affects the electronic transport in single-wall carbon nanotubes, revealing that purified samples exhibit longer mean free paths and quasi-ballistic conduction at room temperature.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence that purification significantly enhances the electronic mean free path and conduction properties of SWNTs, demonstrating quasi-ballistic behavior.

Findings

Purified SWNTs show conductance plateaus indicating quasi-ballistic conduction.

Electronic mean free path in purified SWNTs reaches a few microns.

Purification increases the mean free path compared to as-produced SWNTs.

Abstract

The effect of purification on room temperature electronic transport properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) was studied by submerging samples into liquid mercury. The conductance plots of purified SWNTs showed plateaus, indicating weak dependence of the electrical resistance on the length of the tube connecting the electrodes, providing evidence of quasi-ballistic conduction in SWNTs. The electronic mean free path of the purified SWNTs reached a few microns, which is longer than that of the as-produced SWNTs, and which is consistent with the calculation based on the scattering by acoustic phonons.