Synergistic Charge Engineering in Tellurium-Encapsulated Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Universal Conductivity Enhancement

With the rapid advancement of electronic device miniaturization, materials are required to possess stronger conductivity at smaller scales. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have drawn significant interest due to their outstanding theoretical electrical properties. However, improving their electrical performance remains a significant challenge. In this study, continuous one-dimensional (1D) tellurium (Te) atomic chains were successfully synthesized inside SWCNTs, enabling efficient and stable doping. Unlike previous powder-based studies, polymer-assisted selective sorting was utilized to achieve high-purity Te-filled semiconducting SWCNT (Te@s-SWCNT) solutions. Compared to pristine SWCNTs, Te@s-SWCNT transistors exhibited more than a 4-fold increase in on-state current density. Individual Te-filled metallic SWCNTs (Te@m-SWCNTs) demonstrated current-carrying capacity, achieving current densities ranging from 1.3 to 4.6 × 10⁹ A/cm². Theoretical calculations revealed that these improvements result from charge transfer effects between Te and SWCNTs. This research provides a robust foundation for developing next-generation 1D carbon-based electronics.