Decorated carbon nanotubes with unique oxygen sensitivity

Abstract

The relatively simple and robust architecture of microelectronic devices based on carbon nanotubes, in conjunction with their environmental sensitivity, places them among the leading candidates for incorporation into ultraportable or wearable chemical analysis platforms. We used single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) networks to establish a mechanistic understanding of the solid-state oxygen sensitivity of a Eu3+-containing dendrimer complex. After illumination with 365 nm light, the SWNT networks decorated with the Eu3+ dendrimer show bimodal (optical spectroscopic and electrical conductance) sensitivity towards oxygen gas at room temperature under ambient pressure. We investigated the mechanism of this unique oxygen sensitivity with time-resolved and steady-state optical spectroscopy, analysis of excited-state luminescence lifetimes and solid-state electrical transport measurements. We demonstrate a potential application of this system by showing a reversible and linear electrical response to oxygen gas in the tested range (5–27%). Carbon-nanotube networks have been used to study the sensitivity to molecular oxygen of a dendrimer complexed with europium ions. Optically transparent devices made by coating nanotubes with the metal-containing dendrimer show a linear and reversible electrical response to O2, and may prove useful for oxygen-sensing applications.

Cite this article

Kauffman, D., Shade, C., Uh, H. et al. Decorated carbon nanotubes with unique oxygen sensitivity. Nature Chem 1, 500–506 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.323

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