Electrical Conductivity Studies on Individual Conjugated Polymer Nanowires: Two-Probe and Four-Probe Results

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Two- and four-probe electrical measurements on individual conjugated polymer nanowires with different diameters ranging from 20 to 190 nm have been performed to study their conductivity and nanocontact resistance. The two-probe results reveal that all the measured polymer nanowires with different diameters are semiconducting. However, the four-probe results show that the measured polymer nanowires with diameters of 190, 95&#8211;100, 35&#8211;40 and 20&#8211;25 nm are lying in the insulating, critical, metallic and insulting regimes of metal&#8211;insulator transition, respectively. The 35&#8211;40 nm nanowire displays a metal&#8211;insulator transition at around 35 K. In addition, it was found that the nanocontact resistance is in the magnitude of 10⁴&#937; at room temperature, which is comparable to the intrinsic resistance of the nanowires. These results demonstrate that four-probe electrical measurement is necessary to explore the intrinsic electronic transport properties of isolated nanowires, especially in the case of metallic nanowires, because the metallic nature of the measured nanowires may be coved by the nanocontact resistance that cannot be excluded by a two-probe technique.</p

Current–Voltage Characteristics in Individual Polypyrrole Nanotube, Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) Nanowire, Polyaniline Nanotube, and CdS Nanorope

In this paper, we focus on current–voltage (I–V) characteristics in several kinds of quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) nanofibers to investigate their electronic transport properties covering a wide temperature range from 300 down to 2 K. Since the complex structures composed of ordered conductive regions in series with disordered barriers in conducting polymer nanotubes/wires and CdS nanowires, all measured nonlinearI–Vcharacteristics show temperature and field-dependent features and are well fitted to the extended fluctuation-induced tunneling and thermal excitation model (Kaiser expression). However, we find that there are surprisingly similar deviations emerged between theI–Vdata and fitting curves at the low bias voltages and low temperatures, which can be possibly ascribed to the electron–electron interaction in such quasi-1D systems with inhomogeneous nanostructures

Current–Voltage Characteristics in Individual Polypyrrole Nanotube, Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) Nanowire, Polyaniline Nanotube, and CdS Nanorope

In this paper, we focus on current–voltage (I–V) characteristics in several kinds of quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) nanofibers to investigate their electronic transport properties covering a wide temperature range from 300 down to 2 K. Since the complex structures composed of ordered conductive regions in series with disordered barriers in conducting polymer nanotubes/wires and CdS nanowires, all measured nonlinearI–Vcharacteristics show temperature and field-dependent features and are well fitted to the extended fluctuation-induced tunneling and thermal excitation model (Kaiser expression). However, we find that there are surprisingly similar deviations emerged between theI–Vdata and fitting curves at the low bias voltages and low temperatures, which can be possibly ascribed to the electron–electron interaction in such quasi-1D systems with inhomogeneous nanostructures

[Elaboration and physical properties of metallic nanowires fabricated by electrochemistry]

The template strategy combined with electrodeposition technique has been successfully used to produce nanoscaled objects in the cylindrical pores of track-etched polycarbonate membranes. Using this method, nanometer-sized metallic wires, superconducting nanowires and magnetic multilayers have been fabricated. These nanoscaled materials exhibit physical properties different from those found in the bulk. Fundamental and application interests of these systems are described in this paper

Evidence for strong magnetoelastic effects in Ni nanowires embedded in polycarbonate membranes

The uniaxial anisotropy energy of arrays of submicronic (30-500 hm) Ni wires synthesized by electrodeposition into cylindrical pores of track-etched polycarbonate membranes is studied as a function of temperature. At room temperature, the uniaxial anisotropy is equal to the shape anisotropy whereas an additional contribution, that reinforces the wire axis as an easy axis is evidenced at low temperature. This additional contribution is demonstrated to find its origin in magnetoelastic effects conjointly induced by the Ni and polycarbonate thermal-expansion coefficients mismatch and by the low volume fraction of Ni in Ni/polycarbonate samples

Arrays of nanowires of magnetic metals and multilayers: Perpendicular GMR and magnetic properties

The template strategy combined with electrodeposition techniques have been used to fabricate arrays of nanowires of magnetic metals and multilayers in the cylindrical pores of track-etched polymer membranes, The giant magnetoresistance effects have been investigated in two different types of multilayered nanowires systems: Co/Cu and Ni80Fe20/Cu. In addition, a comparative study of the magnetic properties of sub-micron Ni, Co, Fe and Ni80Fe20 wires is made by means of anisotropic magnetoresistance and magnetization experiments

Fabrication and properties of arrays of superconducting nanowires

We report on the fabrication and structural characterization of arrays of superconducting nanowires by electroplating lead into the nanopores of track-etched polymer membranes. The diameters of the lead nanowires range from 400 down to 70 nm, whereas their length is about 20 mu m. Large enhancement of the critical field has been observed in good agreement with the Ginsburg-Landau-Silin theory. By comparing the predicted critical field enhancement for thin cylinders with experimental results, we have extracted the effective penetration depth. The dependence of the effective penetration depth and electron mean free path on the wire diameter is also discussed

Preparation and characterization of electrodeposited Fe and Fe/Cu nanowires

Fe and Fe/Cu multilayered nanowires with layer thicknesses in the 10nm range were successfully synthesized within the voids of nanoporous polycarbonate membranes and characterized by transmission electron microscopy. Magnetization measurements show that the shape anisotropy of individual Fe wires dominates the magnetic properties. Fe(8nm)/Cu(10nm) multilayered nanowires show CPP-GMR ratios as large as 12% at low temperature. The variations of the CPP-GMR as a function of the Cu layer thickness are consistent with the Valet-Fert model. Our data yield a value of about 0.3 for the bulk spin asymmetry coefficient beta

Perpendicular giant magnetoresistance of NiFe/Cu multilayered nanowires

We have prepared by electrodeposition Ni80Fe20/Cu multilayered nanowires into the pores of polymer membranes and performed giant magnetoresistance (GMR) measurements in the current perpendicular to the layer planes geometry. GMR ratios as high as 80% have been obtained at 4.2 K. Two types of structure have been studied: conventional Ni80Fe20/Cu multilayers and multilayers composed of Ni80Fe20/Cu/Ni80Fe20 trilayers magnetically isolated by long Cu rods. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics

Magnetoresistance of a single domain wall in Co and Ni nanowires

We report on the domain wall magnetoresistance of Co and Ni nanowires of 45 nm on diameter or less. The enhancement of the resistance due to an isolated domain wall is clearly evidenced from magnetoresistance hysteresis loops obtained under parallel and perpendicular fields. The domain walls magnetoresistance effect is by one order of magnitude smaller in Ni than in Co and it was observed only at low temperature for Ni nanowires, The formation and motion of domain walls is demonstrated by MFM experiments