Chemical doping of individual semiconducting carbon-nanotube ropes

We report the effects of potassium doping on the conductance of individual semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube ropes. We are able to control the level of doping by reversibly intercalating and de-intercalating potassium. Potassium doping changes the carriers in the ropes from holes to electrons. Typical values for the carrier density are found to be ∼100–1000 electrons/μm. The effective mobility for the electrons is μeff∼20–60 cm2 V-1 s-1, a value similar to that reported for the hole effective mobility in nanotubes [R. Martel et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 73, 2447 (1998)].