(Invited) Challenges in Quantifying the Purity of Semiconducting Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

Semiconducting carbon nanotubes (sc-SWCNT) sit amongst the most promising nanomaterials for a new generation of electronic devices. Progress towards commercial applications is combined with challenges related to materials development and characterization, fabrication methods as well as device modeling. This talk will focus primarily on the enrichment process and the related ink formulation for printed electronics and integrated circuits. [1] The quality of carbon nanotube ink solutions is closely tied with the rapid feedback provided by optical spectroscopy methods: UV-vis, Raman and fluorescence. [2] I will describe our efforts on improving the material’s assessment when purity exceeds well beyond 99%. [3] [1] Ding, J.; Li, Z.; Lefebvre, J.; Cheng, F.; Dubey, G.; Zou, S.; Finnie, P.; Hrdina, A.; Scoles, L.; Lopinski, G. P.; Kingston, C. T.; Simard, B.; Malenfant, P. R. L. Enrichment of Large-Diameter Semiconducting SWCNTs by Polyfluorene Extraction for High Network Density Thin Film Transistors. Nanoscale 2014, 6, 2328-2339.[2] J. Lefebvre, J.; Finnie, P.; Fagan, J.; Zheng, M.; Hight Walker, A. R. Metrological Assessment of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Materials by Optical Methods. Handbook of Carbon Nanomaterials 2019, 9, R. B. Weisman and J. Kono editors (World Scientific) ISBN 978-981-3235-45-8.[3] Lefebvre, J.; Ding, J.; Li, Z.; Finnie, P.; Lopinski, G.; Malenfant, P. R. L. High-Purity Semiconducting Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes: A Key Enabling Material in Emerging Electronics. Acc. Chem. Res. 2017, 50 (10), 2479-2486. Figure 1