The Characterization and Circumvention of Carbon Nanotube Junctions - The Route to Practical Carbon Conductors Through Extreme Frequency, Fields, and Light

: The three-year project focused on the influence of junctions between carbon nanotubes and ways of improving either electrical transport or bypassing junctions altogether. We found that conductivity improves with frequency for AC signals, an effect that can be improved by sorting for metallic or semiconducting concentrations. We also examined the effect of cryogenic temperatures and strong magnetic fields, and fund that chemical doping can enhance the carrier density and junction transport. Aligned CNT materials have delocalized charge carriers as opposed to the localized hopping of charge carriers in unaligned materials. Finally, high power laser treatment can help increase conductivity by a factor of ten.