Electronic transport in metal-soldered carbon-nanotube multiterminal junctions

The structural and conducting properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNs) in soldered configuration is obtained using efficient formalisms based on spin-polarized tight-binding formulation incorporating full consideration of s, p, and d basis sets for carbon and metal atoms. The full structural relaxation of the combined SWCN and metal system is found to be essential for realistic characterization of conductivity. Soldering appears to reduce the current as well as the Ohmic character. More importantly, for multiterminal SWCN junctions, soldering can significantly alter the rectification properties by reversing its direction.