Chemistry department researchers said they used a form of chemical vapor deposition and lithography to create disc-shaped single walled carbon nanotube based ultramicroelectrodes. They observed that nanotubes deposit themselves flat on a surface in a random but relatively even manner and that they overlap sufficiently to create a single complete metallic micro-circuit right across the final disc. Nanotubes take up less than one percent of the surface area of the disc, continued Warwick researchers.

These instant ultramicroelectrodes can be used for the creation of ultra-sensitive sensors, stated researchers. Indeed, they added, the low surface area of the conducting part of the disc implies that ultramicroelectrodes can be used to screen out background "noise" and cope with low signal to noise ratios making them up to 1000 times more sensitive than conventional ultramicroelecrodes sensors.

The Warwick research team added that these ultramicroelectrodes, because they are carbon-based, offer possibilities for use in living systems. It has even started investigating how the single-walled carbon nanotube based ultramicroelectrodes can be used to measure levels of neurotransmitters.

Among other potential applications, researchers said the ultramicroelectrodes open up opportunities for catalysis in fuel cells. Indeed, the Warwick researchers noted that the carbon nanotube assembly technique brings an additional benefit to catalysis applications as, they claimed, they could use electrodeposition to apply specific metal coatings to the ready formed single walled carbon nanotube microelectrode networks.

The breakthrough has been revealed in a paper entitled "Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Network Ultramicroelectrodes" by University of Warwick researchers Ioana Dumitrescu, Professor Julie Macpherson, Professor Patrick Unwin and Neil Wilson.