Joined nanostructures and methods therefor
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
InventorsMelburne C. LeMieux, Ajay Virkar, Zhenan Bao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Nanostructures are joined using one or more of a variety of materials and approaches. As consistent with various example embodiments, two or more nanostructures are joined at a junction between the nanostructures. The nanostructures may touch or be nearly touching at the junction, and a joining material is deposited and nucleates at the junction to couple the nanostructures together. In various applications, the nucleated joining material facilitates conductivity (thermal and/or electric) between the nanostructures. In some embodiments, the joining material further enhances conductivity of the nanostructures themselves, such as by growing along the nanostructures and/or doping the nanostructures.
Claims56
A method for joining nanostructures, the method comprising:
- depositing a non-alloy molecular joining material between nanostructures;
- and nucleating the joining material to form a nucleated material between the nanostructures that effects a charge transfer to the nanostructures and forms a hybrid material that physically and electrically couples the nanostructures together in a nanostructure film.
A method for joining nanostructures to form a nanomaterial film, the method comprising:
- depositing a joining material between a plurality of nanostructures;
- nucleating the joining material to form conductive material at junctions to physically couple the nanostructures together to form the nanomaterial film;
- using the conductive material at the junctions as a nucleation site, growing additional conductive material along the nanostructures;
- and doping the nanostructures, using dopant material in the additional conductive material, to reduce a resistance value of the nanostructures relative to a resistance value of the nanostructures, prior to doping the nanostructures.
A method for joining carbon-based nanostructures to form a nanomaterial film, the method comprising:
- depositing a joining material at junctions between a plurality of carbon-based nanostructures;
- nucleating the deposited joining material to form charge transport structures at a majority of the junctions to physically couple the carbon-based nanostructures, and to electrically couple the carbon-based nanostructures, to form the nanomaterial film;
- using the charge transport structures as a nucleation site, growing conductive material at the junctions and along a sidewall of the carbon-based nanostructures;
- and doping the junctions and sidewalls of the carbon-based nanostructures with a dopant from the conductive material;
- forming a hybrid material including a material from the carbon-based nanostructures and at least one of the joining material and the dopant, the hybrid material and exhibiting a resistance value that is less than a resistance value of the carbon-based nanostructures, prior to formation of the hybrid material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.