Carbon nanotube-metal cluster composites: a new road to chemical sensors?

Novel carbon nanotube-metal cluster structures are proposed as prototype systems for molecular recognition at the nanoscale. Ab initio calculations show that already the bare nanotube cluster system displays some specificity because the adsorption of ammonia on a carbon nanotube-Al cluster system is easily detected electrically, while diborane adsorption does not provide an electrical signature. Since there are well-established procedures for attaching molecular receptors to metal clusters, these results provide a "proof-of-principle" for the development of novel, high-specificity molecular sensors.