In situ growth of nanowire on the tip of a carbon nanotube under strong electric field.

We present experimental evidence of in situ growth of carbon nanowires on the tip of a carbon nanotube under an applied voltage of 150 V. The grown nanowires with the well-defined geometry and diameter less than ten nanometers are structurally amorphous in nature and result in the solid carbon nanotube-nanowire junction with minimum junction size. The as-generated carbon nanotube-nanowire junction with a distinctive morphology clearly shows evidence of the bonding between the carbon atoms at the tip of carbon tube. The carbon nanotube could be used as a template for in situ growth of the carbonate nanowires under a strong electric field. The measured current-voltage (I-V) characteristic of the nanotube-nanowire contact shows a nonlinear relation between the current and applied bias voltage due to the saturated sp3 bonds formed at the junction. The detected I-V behavior suggests the formation of the metal/insulator/metal structure at the nanotube-nanowire junction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]