Nickelocene-Filled Purely Metallic Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: Sorting and Tuning the Electronic Properties

We conducted the filling of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with nickelocene molecules and separation of the filled SWCNTs by conductivity type by density-gradient ultracentrifugation. We tailored the electronic properties of nickelocene-filled purely metallic SWCNTs by thermal treatment in high vacuum. Our results demonstrated that annealing at low temperatures (360-600 & DEG;C) leads to n-doping of SWCNTs, whereas annealing at high temperatures (680-1200 & DEG;C) results in p-doping of SWCNTs. We found a correlation between the chemical state of the incorporated substances at different annealing temperatures and its influence on the electronic properties of SWCNTs.

Automated summary

In this study, we filled single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with nickelocene molecules and separated them by conductivity type using density-gradient ultracentrifugation. By thermally treating the nickelocene-filled metallic SWCNTs in high vacuum, we were able to tailor their electronic properties. Our findings showed that annealing at different temperatures resulted in either n-doping or p-doping of SWCNTs, with the chemical state of the incorporated substances at different annealing temperatures influencing the electronic properties of SWCNTs.