Mechanical and Electrical Properties of Nanosized Contacts on Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes are very promising candidates for molecular wires, and as such it is important to understand their electrical and mechanical properties. Here single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are investigated using non-contact dynamic scanning force microscopy (SFM). The nanotubes are locally probed using metallized cantilever tips to correlate the mechanical and electrical properties, and the simultaneously obtained force vs. distance and current vs. distance curves are compared. The measurements reveal that electrical contact occurs for very small load forces.