US Patent 7507958 - Ru coated CNT tip

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7507958.html

Carbon nanotubes have been usefully employed as tips of atomic force microscopes due to their high aspect ratio. However, some applications require electrically conductive tips for the atomic force microscope in which the ohmic resistance of CNTs can be problematic. This patent from Samsung teaches a Ru coating for the nanotube as a solution. Claim 1 reads:

1. A conductive carbon nanotube tip comprising:

a carbon nanotube tip substantially vertically placed on a substrate; and

a ruthenium coating layer covering a surface of the carbon nanotube tip and extending to at least a part of the substrate.