Memristor effect on bundles of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes tested by scanning tunnel microscopy

We report on the results of experimental study of an array of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VA CNTs) by scanning tunnel microscopy (STM). It is shown that upon the application of an external electric field to the STM probe/VA CNT system, individual VA CNTs are combined into bundles whose diameter depends on the radius of the tip of the STM probe. The memristor effect in VA CNTs is detected. For the VA CNT array under investigation, the resistivity ratio in the low- and high-resistance states at a voltage of 180 mV is 28. The results can be used in the development of structures and technological processes for designing nanoelectronics devices based on VA CNT arrays, including elements of ultrahigh-access memory cells for vacuum microelectronics devices.     

Influence of the electric field on the alignment of carbon nanotubes during their growth and emission

The problems of the electric field action on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) during their growth and under the electron field emission conditions are considered. The relations determining the growth rate of an extended structure under the action of the electric field are established. The relation connecting the angle of orientation of a CNT inclined to the substrate surface and the applied electric field is used for computing current-voltage characteristics of the cathode consisting of inclined CNTs. The degree of deviation of these characteristics from the Fowler-Nordheim classic dependence is determined, on the one hand, by the parameters characterizing the CNT spread over the angles of inclination and, on the other hand, by the value of the Young modulus characterizing the bending stiffness of a nanotube. It is shown that in zero external electric field, a certain effect on the CNT orientation can be produced by the CNT potential relative to the substrate, which is due to the effect of the contact potential difference.     

Electric field-induced unzipping of hydrogenated carbon nanotubes into graphene nanoribbons

We have investigated the electric field effect on horseshoe-shape carbon nanotubes (CNTs) resulting from hydrogen adsorption on the single-wall armchair (n,n)CNTs with 6 ≤ n ≤ 16 by using the density functional theory calculations. The horseshoe-shape CNT is completely unzipped into a graphene nanoribbon upon applying a critical electric field, which decreases with increasing CNT diameter, thus enabling one to select a nanoribbon width. A simple model based on the tensile force exerted on the tube walls by the applied electric field was introduced to understand the CNT-diameter dependence of the critical field.     

Numerical simulation of micro-scratch tests for coating/substrate composites

In this paper the micro-scratch test is simulated by ANSYS finite element code for thin hard coating on substrate composite material system. Coulomb friction between indenter and material surface is considered. The material elastic-plastic properties are taken into account. Contact elements are used to simulate the frictional contact between indenter and material surfaces, as well as the frictional contact after the detachment of coating/substrate interfaces has taken place. In the case of coating/substrate interfaces being perfectly bonded, the distributions of interfacial normal stress and shear stress are obtained for the material system subjected to normal and tangential loading. In the case of considering the detachment of interfaces, the length of interfacial detachment and the redistribution of stresses because of interfacial detachments are obtained. The influences of different frictional coefficients and different indenter moving distances on the distributions of stresses and displacements are studied. In the simulation, the interfacial adhesion shear strength is considered as a main adhesion parameter of coating/substrate interfaces. The critical normal loading from scratch tests are directly related to interfacial adhesion shear strengths. Using the critical normal loading known from experiments, the interfacial adhesion shear strength is obtained from the calculation. When the interfacial adhesion shear strength is known, the critical normal loading is obtained for different coating thicknesses. The numerical results are compared with the experimental values for composite materials of thin TiN coating on stainless steel substrate.     

Enhanced interfacial strength of carbon nanotube/copper nanocomposites via Ni-coating: Molecular-dynamics insights

The molecular bridging between carbon nanotube (CNT) within the meta matrix is hopeful for enhancing nanocomposite's mechanical performance. One of the main problems for nanocomposites is the inadequate bonding between nonstructural reinforcement and meta matrix. Ni-coating on CNT is an effective method to overcome the drawback of the inadequate strength, but the enhancing mechanism has not well interpreted yet. In this paper, the enhancing mechanism will be interpreted from the molecular-dynamics insights. The pullout process of CNT and Ni-coated CNT against copper matrix is investigated. The effects of geometric parameters, including CNT length and diameter, are taken into considerations and discussed. Results show that the interfacial strength is significantly improved after the Ni-coated CNT, which shows a good agreement with the experimental results available in the open literature. Besides, the sliding mechanism of Ni-coated CNTs against copper matrix is much more like a kind of friction sliding and directly related to the embedded zone. However, the pullout force of the CNT without Ni-coating is nearly proportional to its diameter, but independent of embedded length.     

Quantifying cell adhesion through forces generated by acoustic streaming

The strength of cell adhesion is important in understanding the cell’s health and in culturing them. Quantitative measurement of cell adhesion strength is a significant challenge in bioengineering research. For this, the present study describes a system that can measure cell adhesion strength using acoustic streaming induced by Lamb waves. Cells are cultured on an ultrasound transducer using a range of preculture and incubation times with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) just before the measurement. Acoustic streaming is then induced using several Lamb wave intensities, exposing the cells to shear flows and eventually detaching them. By relying upon a median detachment rate of 50 %, the corresponding detachment force, or force of cell adhesion, was determined to be on the order of several nN, consistent with previous reports. The stronger the induced shear flow, the more cells were detached. Further, we employed a preculture time of 8 to 24 h and a PBS incubation time of 0 to 60 min, producing cell adhesion forces that varied from 1.2 to 13 nN. Hence, the developed system can quantify cell adhesion strength over a wide range, possibly offering a fundamental tool for cell-based bioengineering.     

碳纳米管从硅基板上剥离的拉伸分子动力学模拟研究

采用拉伸分子动力学方法研究了单壁碳纳米管(8, 8)在室温下从硅基板上被剥离的过程.当碳纳米管(CNT)在硅基底上被剥离时, 剥离距离和理想弹簧所测平均剥离力之间呈现一定规律的关系曲线,并出现了较大的正、负峰值. 比较了不同剥离速度下的平均剥离力,并拟合了其峰值与速度的关系. 拉伸分子动力学模拟结果显示,所需剥离力的最大值与速度之间呈现一定的线性关系, 模拟结果同生物物理学上类似的剥离实验结果符合较好,但相比于高分子, CNT和硅(Si)组成的界面吸附性能更强.讨论了碳纳米管长度、 半径及缺陷对剥离过程的影响,研究表明:所需最大的剥离力与CNT的长度无关, 但随CNT半径的增加,需要的最大剥离力线性增加; 5-7-7-5缺陷对剥离力最大值影响较小,而半径变化缺陷会削减最大剥离力. 在原子尺度对未来的试验进行了理论预测,为碳纳米管在硅微电子工业中的应用提供了理论基础.     

Effects of an electric field on the electronic and optical properties of zigzag boron nitride nanotubes

We have investigated the electro-optical properties of zigzag BNNTs, under an external electric field, using the tight binding approximation. It is found that an electric field modifies the band structure and splits the band degeneracy. Also the large electric strength leads to coupling the neighbor subbands which these effects reflect in the DOS and JDOS spectrum. It has been shown that, unlike CNTs, the band gap of BNNTs can be reduced linearly by applying a transverse external electric field. Also we show that the larger diameter tubes are more sensitive than small ones. The semiconducting metallic transition can be achieved through increasing the applied fields. The number and position of peaks in the JDOS spectrum are dependent on electric field strength. It is found that at a high electric field, the two lowest subbands are oscillatory with multiple nodes at the Fermi level.     

Structural and morphological dependence of carbon nanotube arrays on catalyst aggregation

Catalyst aggregation affects the growth of carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays in terms of tubular structures, waviness, entanglement, lengths, and growth density etc., which are important issues for application developments. We present a systematic correlation between the aggregation of catalyst on the SiO₂/Si substrate and the structure and morphology of CNT arrays. The thickness of the catalyst film has a direct effect on the areal density of the catalytic particles and then the alignment of the CNT array. Introducing alumina as buffer layer and annealing the catalyst film at low pressure are two effective approaches to downsize the catalyst particles and then the diameter, wall number of the CNTs. Both the size and areal density of the catalyst also change with the CNT growth in accordance with Ostwald ripening process, with the bottom of the CNT array varying from well-aligned to disordered and adhesion between catalyst particles and the substrate getting enhanced. Strategies including tuning the thickness of the catalyst film, changing buffer layer, controlling on the growth time and the system pressure were used to regulate the aggregation of the catalyst. CNT arrays from disordered to well-aligned, from multi-walled to few-walled and further to single-walled were reproducibly synthesized by chemical vapor deposition of acetylene.     

Friction behavior of monolayer molybdenum diselenide nanosheet under normal electric field

The friction behavior of monolayer molybdenum diselenide (MoSe₂) under normal electric field was studied by the atomic force microscope. The friction coefficients of MoSe₂ are increasing with bias voltage applied on the Si substrate. The results show that the adhesion and electrostatic forces increase with bias and approximately follow a parabolic law. The friction force and surface potential are of the same tendency with bias application time, and the contribution of charges accumulation to friction is considerable. The mechanisms of the friction behavior under external normal electric field were explained with electrostatic force and adsorption. This study reveals a possibility of electronically controlling friction in two-dimensional MoSe₂ system, with potential applications in solid lubricant and moving parts for MEMS devices.     

Effective ionization of air in a near-critical electric field at high temperatures

The effective ionization at the early stages of the development of an electric discharge in air at moderate and high temperatures and pressures was analyzed. Ionization in an external electric field were studied with consideration given to background electrons, the attachment and detachment of electrons from atoms and molecules, and recharging and conversion of anions. The rates of ion-molecular reactions, in particular, detachment, depend not only on the external field strength but also on the temperature. The ionization thresholds were demonstrated to decrease with increasing temperature.     

Surface adhesion between hexagonal boron nitride nanotubes and silicon based on lateral force microscopy

This study presents the surface adhesion between hexagonal boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) and silicon based on lateral manipulation in an atomic force microscope (AFM). The BNNT was mechanically manipulated by the lateral force of an AFM pyramidal silicon probe using the scan mechanism in the imaging mode. With a controlled normal force of the AFM probe and the lateral motion, the lateral force applied to the BNNT could overcome the surface adhesion between BNNT and silicon surface. The individual BNNT is forced to slide and rotate on the silicon surface. Based on the recorded force curve, the calculated shear stress due to surface adhesion is 0.5 GPa. And the specific sliding energy loss is 0.2 J/m². Comparing BNNTs and carbon nanotube (CNT), the shear stress and specific sliding energy loss of BNNT are an order of magnitude larger than that of CNT. Therefore, the results show that the surface adhesion between BNNT and silicon surface is higher than that of CNT.     

Dynamic operation of liquid crystal cell with inherently nanogroove-featured aligned carbon nanotube sheets

The use of a highly aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) sheet as a multifunctional constituent for liquid crystal (LC) displays and electro-optic LC applications is assessed. The CNT sheet can perform a dual function: one is an alignment layer for LCs, replacing the commonly used rubbed polyimide film, and the other is a transparent conductive layer, taking the place of indium tin oxide. The hydrophobic treatment improved the adhesion quality between aligned CNT bundles and the glass substrate, which helps to preserve the inherently aligned nanogroove morphology of transparent CNT sheets. The test LC display cells, comprising 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl molecules sandwiched between CNT-sheet-on-glass substrates, demonstrate the operation characteristics comparable to that of the conventional cell under temperature variation and ac electric field of 1?kHz. The results offer a possibility of deploying multifunctional CNT-sheet alignment layers in LC-based devices, especially in the future flexible display applications.     

外电场对对硝基氯苯分子结构与电子光谱影响的研究

为达到降解有机污染物硝基氯苯的目的, 采用外加平行电场的方法, 研究电场对硝基氯苯化合物的分子结构和电子光谱等的影响. 以对硝基氯苯分子为研究对象, 采用密度泛函B3LYP方法在6-311+g(d, p) 基组水平上优化并计算了不同外电场作用下pCNB的基态分子结构、电偶极矩和分子总能量, 在此基础上采用含时密度泛函研究了该分子的前六个激发态的波长、振子强度受外电场的影响规律.结果表明: C–Cl, C–N键长随电场增加而快速增大, 即键能快速减小, 同时苯环上的C–C, C–H键长的变化很小, 且有增有减, 说明分子的降解可能是C–Cl, C–N键断裂而苯环则相对稳定. 同时分子总能量随电场先增大后变小, 电偶极矩刚好相反.另外, 最大吸收波长λ_max 随电场先缓慢减小, 后快速增大, 导致电子跃迁相对容易, 而振子强度随电场变化则相对比较复杂. 关键词： 对硝基氯苯 外电场 密度泛函 含时密度泛函     

基于铟锡氧化物/Ti复合电极的高亮度碳纳米管场致发射冷阴极

通过制作亲碳性铟锡氧化物(ITO)/Ti复合电极,改善移植型碳纳米管(CNT)冷阴极的导电电极与CNT膜层之间附着性能,从而消除CNT与电极间的界面势垒和非欧姆接触对CNT阴极场发射均匀性和稳定性的影响.采用磁控溅射技术和丝网印刷工艺制作了ITO/Ti基CNT阴极.用X射线衍射仪和场致发射扫描电子显微镜表征CNT阴极结构,结果显示热处理后的ITO/Ti基CNT阴极中可能有TiC相生成,从而使得导电电极与CNT形成有中间物的强作用体系.该体系降低甚至消除电极与CNT之间的界面势垒,增加了CNT与电极间形成欧姆接触的概率.用四探针技术分析电阻率,结果表明ITO/Ti复合电极具有电阻并联效果,CNT阴极导电性能提高.场致发射特性测试表明ITO/Ti基CNT阴极的场致发射电流达到384μA/cm2,较普通ITO基CNT阴极的场致发射电流有显著提高,能够激发测试阳极发出均匀、稳定的高亮度荧光.制作ITO/Ti复合电极是实现场致发射稳定、均匀的低功耗CNT阴极的有效途径.     

接触电阻对碳纳米管场发射的影响

基于改进的悬浮球模型,计算了碳纳米管和衬底间的接触电阻存在时碳纳米管顶端的局域电场, 并结合Fowler-Nordheim (F-N)场发射规律研究了接触电阻对碳纳米管场发射的影响.研究表明,接触电阻的存在,在高电场区域接触电阻抑制了碳纳米管的电子场发射,导致在高电场区域出现电流饱和及FN直线偏折现象.其原因可归结为接触电阻使得在碳纳米管顶端的局域电场相对于没有接触电阻时相对地减少. 关键词： 碳纳米管 场发射 接触电阻 电流饱和     

Ionization of an air-methane mixture in a near-critical electric field

The process of effective ionization at the early stages of development of an electric discharge in methane-air mixtures at moderate and high pressures is analyzed. The ionization in an external electric field with consideration given to background electrons, electron attachment to and detachment from atoms and oxygen molecule, recharging, and anion-neutral electron exchange is considered. The dependences of the rates of ion-molecular processes on the temperature and electric field strength are examined.     

Peeling model for cell detachment

In many experimental situations, the adhesion of cells to solid substrates is due to non-covalent chemical bonds. It is the thesis of this paper that many phenomena occurring in cell detachment experiments, such as in I (E. Decavé, G. Garriver, Y. Brechet, B. Fourcade, F. Bruckert, Biophys. J. 82, 2383 (2002)), result from the static and dynamic properties of the adhesive bridges at the extreme margin of the cell. This region defines the adhesive belt where the distribution of connected bonds crosses over to zero where the membrane leaves the substrate. The theoretical model we introduce in this paper discusses the threshold force together with the peeling velocity in the same theoretical framework. In this one-dimensional model, the threshold force results from a non-homogeneous distribution of anchor proteins along the membrane so that the adhesive belt increases its capacity to resist motion with increasing the external force. Analyzing the kinetics of the the contact line motion, we derive the characteristic relationship speed versus external force and we describe the non-equilibrium state of the adhesive belt as a function of the speed. We discuss our model in view of the experimental results obtained with D. discoideum for hydrodynamic shear experiments. Our results could be also confronted to single-cell observations. Received 14 January 2002     

Growth of multiwalled carbon nanotube arrays by chemical vapour deposition over iron catalyst and the effect of growth parameters

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays were grown by catalytic thermal decomposition of acetylene, over Fe-catalyst deposited on Si-wafer in the temperature range 700-750 °C. The growth parameters were optimized to obtain dense arrays of multiwalled CNTs of uniform diameter. The vertical cross-section of the grown nanotube arrays reveals a quasi-vertical alignment of the nanotubes. The effect of varying the thickness of the catalyst layer and the effect of increasing the growth duration on the morphology and distribution of the grown nanotubes were studied. A scotch-tape test to check the strength of adhesion of the grown CNTs to the Si-substrate surface reveals a strong adhesion between the grown nanotubes and the substrate surface. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of the grown CNTs shows that the grown CNTs are multiwalled nanotubes with a bamboo structure, and follow the base-growth mechanism.     

Forces and charges on a slightly deformed droplet in the DC field of a plate condenser

A conducting drop in partial wetting on the lower electrode of a plate condenser and surrounded by a dielectric fluid is considered. When a DC field is applied the drop, acquiring electric charges, is subjected to an electrostatic force normal to the electrode. The force exerted on undeformable drops was previously calculated. In this paper, the distortion from a spherical shape is asymptotically calculated at low electric Bond numbers to generalize previous developments. A mechanism is proposed to explain the drop detachment, leading to an electrical field strength threshold. Some experiments were performed confirming the mechanism.