Mechanical and electrical properties of nanosized contacts on single-walled carbon nanotubes

The electrical and mechanical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) were investigated. One end of the tube was buried under a Au contact and the other end was probed with a metallized cantilever tip of a scanning force microscope. The force-distance and current-distance curves measured on the uncovered SWNTs were correlated. The mechanical contact in the tip-carbon nanotube system was accompanied by a sudden increase in electric current. The loads required to produce electric contact were reproducible and much smaller than those required on highly-oriented pyrolytic graphite or gold.