Bifunctional anchors connecting carbon nanotubes to metal electrodes for improved nanoelectronics

We show that the electrical and mechanical properties of the metal electrodes to the side walls of carbon nanotubes or graphene sheets can be dramatically improved through incorporation of (-CON-) and (-COO-) bifunctional molecular anchors. Thus for Pt, the (-CON-) anchor has a contact resistance 60 times lower than that of the simple nonanchored contact, while providing a much stronger mechanical linkage between the carbon and platinum metal contact. This should be useful for applications such as electronics, fuel cell catalysts, and spintronics.