Methods for enhanced control over the density and electrical properties of SWNT networks

Abstract

The formation of manufacturable electronic materials that incorporate single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) will most likely involve the use of networks of these molecular wires, due to the enhanced current drive and reproducibility of such films. Therefore, control over the density of SWNTs during the deposition of 2-D networks is of critical importance for the development of numerous enhanced electronic materials. Room temperature deposition methods are of particular interest as they allow separation, purification, and/or chemical modification of SWNTs before deposition. This article reports three iterative liquid-deposition techniques that allow control over the properties of three distinct types of SWNT networks. First, density control was obtained for 2-D networks of unbundled, high-aspect ratio SWNTs. Such networks exhibited semiconductive behavior, with tunable on/off ratios. Second, electrically continuous 2-D clusters of high aspect ratio SWNTs were formed by allowing capillary forces to develop in a sessile suspension droplet. These constructs displayed tunable metallic conductivity, and may have the applications as interconnects in microelectronics. Finally, highly conductive, 3-D networks of bundled SWNTs were formed via an evaporation method. For these three types of networks, the density of SWNTs, and thus the macroscopic conductance, was readily controlled via the number of deposition cycles used in their formation.