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Self-organized nanotube serpentines

Nature Nanotechnology volume 3, pages 195–200 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes1 have unique mechanical, electronic, optical and thermal properties, which make them attractive building blocks in the field of nanotechnology2. However, their organization into well-defined straight or curved geometries and arrays on surfaces remains a critical challenge for their integration into functional nanosystems. Here we show that combined surface- and flow-directed growth enable the controlled formation of uniquely complex and coherent geometries of single-walled carbon nanotubes, including highly oriented and periodic serpentines and coils. We propose a mechanism of non-equilibrium self-organization3, in which competing dissipative forces of adhesion and aerodynamic drag induce oscillations in the nanotubes as they adsorb on the surface. Our results demonstrate the use of ‘order through fluctuations’3 to shape nanostructures into complex geometries. The nanotube serpentines and loops are shown to be electrically conducting and could therefore find a wide range of potential applications, such as receiving and transmitting antennas, heating and cooling elements, optoelectronic devices and single-molecule dynamos.

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Figure 1: Representative nanotube serpentines.
Figure 3: Nanotube diameter effect on serpentine shape.
Figure 2: Flow rate and direction effects on serpentine shape.
Figure 4: Electrical characterization of nanotube serpentines.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Israel Science Foundation, the US–Israel Binational Science Foundation, the Kimmel Center for Nanoscale Science, and the Djanogly, Alhadeff and Perlman Family foundations. E.J. holds the Victor Erlich Career Development Chair. We thank A. Jorio, G. Cançado and L. Novotny for Raman characterization, R. Popovitz-Biro for TEM characterization, A. Yoffe for assistance with the cleanroom facilities, R. Naaman for allowing us to use his electrical probe station, and N. Gov, K.S. Nagapriya and T. Yarden for helpful discussions.

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Author notes

  1. Noam Geblinger and Ariel Ismach: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel

    Noam Geblinger, Ariel Ismach & Ernesto Joselevich

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  1. Noam Geblinger
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  2. Ariel Ismach
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  3. Ernesto Joselevich
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Correspondence to Ernesto Joselevich.

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Geblinger, N., Ismach, A. & Joselevich, E. Self-organized nanotube serpentines. Nature Nanotech 3, 195–200 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2008.59

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