"With the advent of nanotechnology, new technologies have emerged such as chemical and biological sensors, quantum computing, energy harvesting, lasers, and environmental and photon-detectors,” said Professor Steve Wilks.
“But there is a need to develop electrical contact preparation techniques to ensure these devices become an everyday reality. Traditional methods of engineering electrical contacts have been applied to nanomaterials but often neglect the nanoscale effects that nanoscientists have worked so hard to uncover.”
The research team used specialist experimental equipment to measure how the nanoscale modifications affected the electrical performance. Their experiments found that simple changes to the catalyst edge can turn-on or turn-off the dominant electrical conduction.
"This research will allow engineers to reliably produce electrical contacts which is essential for nanomaterials to be used in the technologies of tomorrow,” Dr Lord concluded.
"This work could lead to new technologies such as transient electronics that are devices that diminish and vanish without a trace which is an essential property when they are applied as diagnostic tools inside the human body."