Nanotube-bridged wires with sub-10 nm gaps

We report a simple but efficient method to synthesize carbon nanotube-bridged wires (NBWs) with gaps as small as 5 nm. In this method, we have combined a strategy for assembling carbon nanotubes (CNTs) inside anodized aluminum oxide pores and the on-wire lithography technique to fabricate CNT-bridged wires with gap sizes deliberately tailored over the 5–600 nm range. As a proof-of-concept demonstration of the utility of this architecture, we have prepared NBW-based chemical and biosensors which exhibit higher analyte sensitivity (lower limits of detection) than those based on planar CNT networks. This observation is attributed to a greater surface-to-volume ratio of CNTs in the NBWs than those in the planar CNT devices. Because of the ease of synthesis and high yield of NBWs, this technique may enable the further incorporation of CNT-based architectures into various nanoelectronic and sensor platforms.