Geblinger Noam, Ismach Ariel, Joselevich Ernesto
Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Nat Nanotechnol. 2008 Apr;3(4):195-200. doi: 10.1038/nnano.2008.59. Epub 2008 Mar 30.
Carbon nanotubes have unique mechanical, electronic, optical and thermal properties, which make them attractive building blocks in the field of nanotechnology. 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-organization, 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' 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.
碳纳米管具有独特的机械、电子、光学和热学性质，这使其成为纳米技术领域颇具吸引力的构建单元。然而，如何将它们在表面组织成明确的直线或弯曲几何形状及阵列，对于将其集成到功能性纳米系统而言仍是一项关键挑战。在此，我们展示了结合表面导向和流动导向的生长方式能够实现单壁碳纳米管独特复杂且连贯几何形状的可控形成，包括高度取向的周期性蛇形和螺旋形。我们提出了一种非平衡自组织机制，在该机制中，吸附在表面时，相互竞争的粘附耗散力和气动阻力会在纳米管中引发振荡。我们的结果证明了利用“通过涨落实现有序”来将纳米结构塑造为复杂几何形状。已证明碳纳米管蛇形和环形结构具有导电性，因此可找到广泛的潜在应用，如接收和发射天线、加热和冷却元件、光电器件及单分子发电机。
