Electronic fingerprints of confined and adsorbed water in SWCNTs

Abstract

This article shows the differentiation between water adsorbed outside of a single-walled carbon nanotube (CNT) and that confined inside. This distinction is made possible by tracking the electronic transport of a CNT-based field effect transistor constructed with an individual nanotube and exposed to controlled environments. The presence of water shifts the electrical neutrality point, indicating charge transfer between the nanotube and its environment. We identify three types of water molecules: (i) chemically adsorbed on the SiO₂ surface, forming silanol groups, (ii) physically adsorbed outside the nanotube, and (iii) confined inside. The first type is eliminated only by high-temperature treatment under vacuum, while the latter two desorb at room temperature under moderate or high vacuum, i.e. 10⁻³ mbar. We observe that water confinement inside the nanotube is fast and thermodynamically favorable, with no qualitative influence from the metallicity of the nanotube.