A Single-walled Carbon Nanotube-based Nanocompass for High Spatial Resolution Magnetometry.

A design for single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) nanocompass will be presented.~ The operating principle exploits the sensitivity of SWCNT electrical properties to strain. The sensor design resembles a classical compass that features an electronic readout.~ It consists of a suspended network of electrically contacted SWCNTs supporting a magnetically responsive, high aspect-ratio Fe component.~ During operation, torque on the Fe needle in a magnetic field will induce a strain on the suspended SWCNTs, which is measurable as a change in electronic properties of the device.~ We will discuss fabrication of the magnetometer, preliminary data, including magnetic field and temperature dependence of the SWCNT network material, and calculations to estimate the nanocompass sensitity to magnetic field.~ We will also outline future work planned at BYU in collaboration with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.