Electrical Transport Degradation of Chemically Doped Electronic-Type-Separated Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes From Radiation-Induced Defects

The structural and electrical properties of purified and potassium tetrabromoaurate [KAuBr4(aq)] doped semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotubes (S-SWCNTs) and metallic SWCNT (M-SWCNT) thin films are characterized as defects are introduced through ion irradiation with 150-keV
¹¹
B
⁺
with fluences ranging from 1 x 10
¹²
to 1 x 10
¹⁵
ions/cm
²
. Prior to irradiation, doping achieves conductivity enhancements of 20x and 2x in the S-SWCNTs and M-SWCNTs, respectively. Irradiation of the samples results in decreased electrical conductivity of both electronic types of purified and doped SWCNTs as defect density is increased. However, the relative conductivity enhancement provided by the chemical dopant is maintained, thereby yielding more radiation tolerant electrical conductors. The presence of the dopant does not influence the level of damage imparted to the SWCNTs, but rather modifies the electronic properties of the SWCNTs by enhancing the carrier concentration.