Fullerene as electrical hinge.

The current study demonstrates that fullerenes with sizes between 1.9 nm and 3.3 nm serve as an efficient electrical hinges for interconnecting sub-5 nm carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Three modes of such 'soft connections' were validated via transmission electron microscopy employing in-situ nano-manipulation and electrical transportation measurement. A high stability of the electrical connectivity caused by the forces acting between the fullerene and nanotubes was detected. Current densities as high as ∼108 A/cm2, which almost reached the current carrier capability of CNTs, were observed within the nanocontact and a low contact resistivity (∼10-8 Ω·cm2) was observed between the fullerene and nanotubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]