We have performed polarization-dependent ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy of a film of aligned single-walled carbon nanotube bundles. By taking into account imperfect nanotube alignment as well as anisotropic absorption cross sections, we quantitatively determined distinctly different photobleaching dynamics for polarizations parallel and perpendicular to the tube axis. For perpendicular polar...

We demonstrate an inflatable nanoballoon actuator based on geometrical transitions between the inflated (cylindrical) and collapsed (flattened) forms of a carbon nanotube. In situ transmission electron microscopy experiments employing a nanoelectromechanical manipulator show that a collapsed carbon nanotube can be reinflated by electrically charging the nanotube, thus realizing an electrostatic...

Biosensors utilizing carbon nanotube field-effect transistors have a tremendous potential to serve as the basis for the next generation of diagnostic systems. While nanotubes have been employed in the fabrication of multiple sensors, little attention has previously been paid to how the nanotube density affects the biosensor performance. We conducted a systematic study of the effect of density o...

The discovery of carbon nanostructures, such as nanotubes and C60 fullerenes, has given rise to a number of potential nanoscale devices. One such device is the gigahertz oscillator, comprising an inner shell sliding inside an outer shell of a multiwalled carbon nanotube, and which, at least theoretically, generates oscillatory frequencies in the gigahertz range. Following the concept of these g...

The paper reviews quantum and classical effects which arise in physics of nanotube devices. Knowledge of nanotube electronic structure has been used for a calculation of quantum capacitance and quantum terms in van der Waals energy. Combining analytical theory and quantum mechanical micromodels I worked out a description for nanoelectromechanical devices, for example, electromechanical switch. ...

Polarized infrared optical emission was observed from a carbon nanotube ambipolar field-effect transistor (FET). An effective forward-biased p-n junction, without chemical dopants, was created in the nanotube by appropriately biasing the nanotube device. Electrical measurements show that the observed optical emission originates from radiative recombination of electrons and holes that are simult...

Bovine serum albumin is commonly used in many biochemical applications due to its stability, lack of interference within biochemical reactions and low production cost. Here, we model the interaction of bovine serum albumin inside a carbon nanotube. The carbon nanotube is chosen as an example to demonstrate its potential use in targeted drug and protein delivery and as an enzyme immobilizing mat...

Recent investigations of superconductivity in carbon nanotubes have shown that a single-wall zigzag nanotube can become superconducting at around 15 K. Theoretical studies of superconductivity in nanotubes using the traditional phonon exchange model, however, give a superconducting transition temperature T c less than 1K. To explain the observed higher critical temperature we explore the possib...

We present a novel nanotube-on-insulator (NOI) approach for producing high-yield nanotube devices based on aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes. First, we managed to grow aligned nanotube arrays with controlled density on crystalline, insulating sapphire substrates, which bear analogy to industry-adopted silicon-on-insulator substrates. On the basis of the nanotube arrays, we demonstrated reg...