Effects of Tube Diameter and Length on Transparent Conductivity of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Network Films

Yuki Kuwahara,Takeshi Saito,Takayoshi Hirai

doi:10.1155/2018/5393290

Abstract

The effects of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) structures on the transparent conductivity of their network films have been investigated. SWCNTs with different average tube diameters of 1.3 nm, 1.7 nm, and 2.0 nm were processed at the same conditions. Then unit structure characterization was performed by determining the tube diameter, length, bundle thickness, and so on, before the fabrication of SWCNT network films by the filtration and transfer method using the dispersions. The result of the transparent conductivity measurements clearly showed better performance with a decrease in the tube diameter: that is, narrower SWCNTs form narrow bundles, and their dense network results in an increase in the total length of conduction pathways in the SWCNT network films with high transparency. Furthermore, the figure of merit and the percolation exponent for the transparent conductivity obtained by using the data fitting of the percolation model were also discussed in terms of the tube diameter and length.

Highlights

The single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) network film has attracted considerable attention as one of the emerging conductive materials for transparent conductive film (TCF) applications [1]
We have investigated the effects of structural parameters, especially the tube diameter, on the transparent conductivity properties of SWCNT network films prepared by the filtration and transfer method [1], in which the tube length and diameter of SWCNTs were independently varied
We have investigated the structural characteristics and the transparent conductivity properties of SWCNT network films prepared by the filtration and transfer method, by focusing on the relationship between the tube diameter and length of individual SWCNTs and their network structure

Summary

Introduction

The single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) network film has attracted considerable attention as one of the emerging conductive materials for transparent conductive film (TCF) applications [1]. Maintaining long-term stability of the properties after acid treatment has remained an important issue to be solved, it has recently been reported that photonic curing of a vacuum-evaporated copper halide film on a SWCNT network builds efficient and stable nanotubenanotube interconnects that result in prospective long-term stability [9]. Because of these advances, SWCNTs are one of the promising alternative to current materials, including rare metals, in a variety of applications

Methods

Results

Conclusion