A novel method for practical temperature measurement with carbon nanotube nanothermometers

This work presents an oxidation-assisted approach to measurement of temperatures with carbon nanotubes that contain liquid gallium (Ga). When a Ga-filled carbon nanotube is heated in air for an appropriate length of time, an oxide marker is formed on the inner wall of the carbon nanotube due to partial oxidation of the Ga. Thus, the temperature to which the nanotube was exposed can be retrieved by progressively heating the carbon nanotube until the liquid Ga reaches the oxide marker. Compared with previous methods, this novel approach provides a simpler and, importantly, a far more reliable way to measure temperatures over a moderate temperature range at the nanometre scale.