Synthesis of pentacene nanotubes by melt-assisted template wetting

The synthesis of pentacene nanotubes was analyzed by using melt-assisted template wetting and the electrical contacting of single tubes. The pentacene power was placed on an alumna pore array and heated above its melting point under an inert atmosphere. The density of nanotubes demonstrated the efficiency of the melt-assisted wetting process for high-yield preparation of the novel 1-D nanostructures. A high-resolution SEM image of a pentacene nanotube drop-deposited on an oxidized silicon substrate and sputter coated with an ultrathin gold layer was also carried to facilitate high-resolution imaging. It was found that at certain points in the TEM image of a single nanotube, the pentacene molecules within the tube do not adopt any appreciable long range order. The results show that the nanoflute demonstrates the tubular characteristics persist along the length of the 1-D nanostructures.