Hybrid nanotubes: single step formation of homogeneous nanotubes of polypyrrole-gold composites and novel switching transition of resistance beyond liquid nitrogen temperature

Abstract

Nanowires of polypyrrole have exhibited switching transition that reduces the resistance of the wires by several orders of magnitude under certain bias around and below 30 K temperature. Here, we have shown that by incorporating gold in these polypyrrole nanotubes using a cost effective template based single-step chemical synthesis technique, this novel resistance switching transition could be extended beyond liquid nitrogen temperature (> 90 K) to make this phenomena technologically relevant. The single step synthesis technique, reported here, provides us uniform mixing of gold and polypyrrole during the formation of composite-nanotubes; with appropriate choice of materials, this synthesis technique can be extended to form nanotubes of other metal-polymer composites.