AVS 52nd International Symposium
    Nanometer-Scale Science and Technology Tuesday Sessions
       Session NS+BI-TuA

Paper NS+BI-TuA5
Functionalization and Electrical Characterization of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanofibers

Tuesday, November 1, 2005, 3:20 pm, Room 210

Session: Molecular and Biological Applications of Nanostructures
Presenter: K.-Y. Tse, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Authors: K.-Y. Tse, University of Wisconsin-Madison
S.E. Baker, University of Wisconsin-Madison
E.A. Hindin, University of Wisconsin-Madison
T.L. Clare, University of Wisconsin-Madison
R.J. Hamers, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Correspondent: Click to Email
Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanofibers (VACNFs) represent a new form of carbon with potential applications ranging from biosensing to energy storage. We have explored the electrical properties of bare and chemically-functionalized VACNFs in electrolyte solutions using electrical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Electrical measurements show that the capacitance of the nanofiber forests is directly proportional to the average nanofiber length, demonstrating that the entire fiber surface is electrically active. A comparison of nanofiber forests with planar electrodes shows that the forests have approximately 7 times higher effective surface area. Measurements of DNA hybridization with DNA-modified VACNFs show a similar ratio, showing that the nanofibers have good biological accessibility. We will discuss the factors that control the electrical properties of nanofibers in electrolyte solutions, the effects of nanofiber aggregation, and prospects for the application of nanofibers for biosensing.