Temperature effects on electrical transport in semiconducting nanoporous carbon nanowires

In this paper we report on the effect of temperature on the electrical conductivity of amorphous and nanoporous (pores size around 0.5 nm) carbon nanowires. Poly(furfuryl alcohol) nanowires with diameter varying from 150 to 250 nm were synthesized by a template-based technique and upon pyrolysis yielded amorphous carbon nanowires with nanosized pores in them. We observed significant (as high as 700%) decrease in electrical resistance when the nanowire surface temperature was increased from room temperature to 160°C. On the basis of the experimental and microscopy evidence, we infer a thermally activated carrier transport mechanism to be the primary electrical transport mechanism, at elevated temperatures, in these semiconducting, amorphous, and nanoporous carbon nanowires.