Electrical properties measurement of Carbon Nanotubes using Atomic Force Microscope for nano sensor applications

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in monitoring and controlling of pH. It has become an important aspect of many industrial wastewater treatment processes. At the same time, the demand for smaller electronic devices used for various industrial and commercial applications has greatly increased. Micro and nano materials, such as Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) are known for their excellent electrical and mechanical properties, as well as for their small size, therefore they are good candidates to manufacture micro or nano electronic devices. These devices can be used for pH control. However, this cannot be achieved unless CNTs with metallic or semiconducting band structures can be successfully deposited, separated and aligned. In these processes, microchip fabrication, dispersion of CNTs and their electrical property measurement are involved. In this paper, an Atomic Force Microscope is employed to test the conductivity of both Single-Walled and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with a conductive cantilever-tip. The I-V characteristics of the carbon nanotubes is obtained to describe their electrical properties. Ultimately, this technological development will lead towards the efficient and effective manufacturing of CNT-based ISFET for pH sensor application.