Fullerene as electrical hinge

The current study demonstrates that fullerenes with sizes between 1.9 nm and 3.3 nm serve as an efficient electrical hinges for interconnecting sub-5 nm carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Three modes of such soft connections were validated via transmission electron microscopy employing in-situ nano-manipulation and electrical transportation measurement. A high stability of the electrical connectivity caused by the forces acting between the fullerene and nanotubes was detected. Current densities as high as similar to 10(8) A/cm(2), which almost reached the current carrier capability of CNTs, were observed within the nanocontact and a low contact resistivity (similar to 10(-8) Omega.cm(2)) was observed between the fullerene and nanotubes. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4714682]