Double-wall carbon nanotube transparent conductive films with excellent performance

Abstract

Double-wall carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) with a uniform diameter and high thermal stability were synthesized by a floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition method using sulfur as the growth promoter and CH4 as the carbon source under a hydrogen atmosphere. The DWCNTs obtained have a mean diameter of ∼3 nm and a high oxidation resistance temperature of 785 °C. Transparent conductive films (TCFs) based on the DWCNTs produced by a simple filtration method showed excellent optoelectronic performance of 83 Ω sq−1 with 79% transmittance at 550 nm, which is the best performance ever reported for pristine CNT TCFs. These desirable properties are ascribed to the moderate diameter, long length and structural integrity of the DWCNTs that are responsible for the films' good electrical conductivity and high transmittance.