Nanoscale Light Emission Spectroscopy of a Single Carbon Nanotube Adsorbed on Au(111)

Abstract

 We have investigated nano-scale luminescence from multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT) adsorbed on Au(111) using scanning tunnleing microscopy (STM) light emission spectroscopy. Dry contact transfer (DCT) method was used to deposite an isolated single CNT onto the clean substrate in the ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). We found that the surface density of CNT on Au(111) is increased by presonicating the CNT powder in 1,2-dichloroethane. STM imagings revealed that the cleaness of the surface is maitained at the area where isolated CNTs exist while the surface is likely to be contaminated at the area where the bundled CNTs exist. The STM light emission spectrum obtained from the isolated single CNT on Au(111) exhibits the spike-like peaks observed in the visible light range, which is caused by the electronic transitions between the electronic bands of semiconductive CNT.