  The ability to tune the thermal resistance of carbon nanotube mechanical
supports from insulating to conducting could permit the next generation of
thermal management devices. Here, we demonstrate fabrication techniques for
carbon nanotube supports that realize either weak or strong thermal coupling,
selectively. Direct imaging by in-situ electron thermal microscopy shows that
the thermal contact resistance of a nanotube weakly-coupled to its support is
greater than 250 K*m/W and that this value can be reduced to 4.2(+5.6/-2.1)
K*m/W by imbedding the nanotube in metal contacts.
