Multifunctional carbon nanotubes are promising for biomedical applications as their nano-size, together with their physical stability, gives access into the cell and various cellular compartments including the nucleus. However, the direct and label-free detection of carbon nanotube uptake into cells is a challenging task. The atomic force microscope (AFM) is capable of resolving details of cell...

A central effort in biomedical research concerns the development of materials for sustaining and controlling cell growth. Carbon nanotube based substrates have been shown to support the growth of different kinds of cells (Hu et al 2004 Nano Lett. 4 507-11; Kalbacova et al 2006 Phys. Status Solidi b 13 243; Zanello et al 2006 Nano Lett. 6 562-7); however the underlying molecular mechanisms remai...

Feedstock diffusion and decomposition in the root growth of aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays is discussed. A nondimensional modulus is proposed to differentiate catalystpoisoning controlled growth deceleration from one which is diffusion controlled. It is found that, at current stage, aligned multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) arrays are usually free of feedstock diffusion resistance. Howe...

The noise properties of single-walled carbon nanotube transistors (SWNT-FETs) are essential for the performance of electronic circuits and sensors. Here, we investigate the mechanism responsible for the low-frequency noise in liquid-gated SWNT-FETs and its scaling with the length of the nanotube channel down to the nanometer scale. We show that the gate dependence of the noise amplitude provide...

This report details work toward the fabrication of a single-electron transistor created from a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT). Specifically discussed is a method for growing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) via carbon vapor deposition (CVD). The growth is catalyzed by a solution of 0.02g Fe(NO3)3·9H2O, 0.005g MoO2(acac)2, and 0.015g of alumina particles in 15mL methanol. SWNT diameter ranges from ...

In this study, a technique has been proposed for developing constitutive models for polymer composite systems reinforced with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT). Since the polymer molecules are on the same size scale as the nanotubes, the interaction at the polymer/nanotube interface is highly dependent on the local molecular structure and bonding. At these small length scales, the lattice s...

We have examined the time-dependent effect of the titanium oxide photocatalysis on N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone individually dispersed single walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) suspensions. From optical spectroscopic studies, we found a selective decoration of the semiconducting tubes. Such selectivity is attributed to the preferential attack of the photogenerated active species on the hole-doped semicond...

Here we discuss spectroscopic investigation and characterization of vertically aligned single-walled carbon nanotube (VA-SWNT) arrays, which were synthesized using the alcohol catalytic CVD method [1]. Growth of the VA-SWNTs was monitored using an in situ absorbance measurement [2], which provides information about the growth process. Primary methods employed were Resonance Raman and UV-Vis-NIR...

As-synthesized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are bundled mixtures of different species. The current challenge in the field of carbon nanotube research lies in the processing and separation of SWNTs, which first require efficient dispersion of individual SWNTs in solvents. We report DNA-mimicking polysoap surfactants that disperse SWNTs in aqueous solutions more effectively than DNA. Th...

We report on the monotonic Raman frequency shift and intensity variation when a laser spot moves along the same single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) for both the radial-breathing mode (RBM) and the G-band. Our substrates are Si wafers coated with thermal oxide, and trenches with widths of 1-80 mum are etched in the SiO2 by photolithography and reactive ion etching. SWNTs are grown by chemical v...