Improvement of the sensitivity of carbon nanotube sensors by benzene functionalization for detecting dissociated SF6 species

We fabricated carbon nanotubes sensors using dielectrophoretic deposition for detecting the dissociation of SF₆ in a closed chamber. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) produced by the arc-discharge method were suspended in sodium dodecyl sulfate aqueous solution (SDS, 1 wt %) by ultra-sonication for 20 min at 540 W and ultra-centrifugation for 4 h at 170,000g. A drop of nanotube suspension (10 μl) was placed on the electrode after applying alternating current electric field at a frequency of 10 MHz and a peak-to-peak voltage of 8 V using a function generator. The droplet was blown off after 10 minutes, and the function generator was turned off. Furthermore, we improved the sensor sensitivity by functionalizing the carbon nanotubes with benzene.