Development, Challenges and Prospects of Carbon Nanotube Transistors in Sensors

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes are a new type of nanomaterial discovered at the end of the last century. Carbon nanotube have great potential in many fields due to their excellent electrical properties. Carbon nanotube transistor, as one of the most important applications of carbon nanotube, has become a research hotspot in semiconductor field. The technology of carbon nanotube transistor-based sensors has gradually matured in recent years. However, there are still great challenges including the stability of electrical properties. This work outlines the progression of carbon nanotube transistors and their applications in sensors. The basic principles of carbon nanosensors are introduced. In this part, the construction of carbon nanotubes are discussed. In addition, the construction and principles of chemiresistor and back-gated chemical field effect transistor (ChemFET) are highlighted. Moreover, the specific applications of chemiresistor and ChemFET are introduced respectively. Finally, the problems faced by the future development of carbon nanotube sensors have also been raised.