Doping nanotubes

A technique has been developed at Oxford University in Britain for producing high value semiconducting carbon nanotubes from samples of single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

Semiconducting carbon nanotubes can be doped like silicon, and are one of the best candidate materials for replacing current semiconductors. A nanotube is about 1/500th the size of a current transistor and has good electrical properties.

However, current production methods create a mixture of nanotubes with both semiconducting and metallic properties that makes them expensive and difficult to use.

The Oxford Invention is a technique for purifying samples of carbon nanotubes to remove both general metallic and graphitic contamination. A product containing more than 90% semiconducting nanotubes can already by produced, and further increases in the proportion of semiconducting nanotubes in the final product are expected as development continues.

The technology can be used for both single- and multi-walled nanotubes.