On The Assembly of Nanodevices

Abstract

Carbon nanostructures are 1D and 2D materials with potential to enable new markets in the electronic industry due to their novel properties which have been recognized recently with the awarding of two Nobel Prizes in physics. But their very small size constitutes a new challenge in the manufacturing industry.

We adapt molecular simulation tools and microfabrication techniques to enable the analysis of different scenarios on the assembly and characterization of carbon-based nanodevices.

In an in silico experiment, by using molecular dynamics we analyze the outcome of bombarding carbon nanotube with argon ions, we find that for very high energies the type of defect created is almost exclusively single vacancy which is important in the development of spin-based electronics.

An electric field can selectively guide nanoparticles in liquid media. We are able to guide the positioning of carbon nanotubes suspended in a four-electrode configuration; and after inducing an electrical breakdown event in a parallel array of nanotube devices we find a strong nonlinear electrical characteristic.

Combining carbon nanostructures with DNA molecules offers the possibility of exploiting the chemical sensitivity of DNA and transducing it in an electrical signal. By using molecular dynamics, we predict a stable structure for a non-covalent DNA junction; we explore two different cases, with carbon nanotube or graphene as interface electrodes. Electronic structure calculations predict the DNA electronic structure is coupled to the carbon electron nano devices and would allow sensing of a chemical environment.

In the field of drug-delivery, biological barriers and the immune system constitute challenges for the effective delivery of a drug to targeted areas of the human organism. By using molecular dynamics, we predict the structure and stability of maximum PEGylated carbon nanotube and predict it is in the nano-sized regime (~40 nm) which is an important requirement in the effective delivery of drugs.

New fabrication techniques are required in the manufacturing of carbon nano devices. We fabricate fluidic devices and analyze in a novel configuration the electrochemical response of graphene ribbons. We find this device promising for detecting very low level of europium in liquid solution.