Photoluminescence of single‐wall carbon nanotube films

Abstract

AbstractIn this work, we report the photoluminescence (PL) studies of the films produced by different methods from pristine single‐wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The suspensions of CoMoCAT and HiPCO SWNTs were used to make two different types of films: the polymer films with embedded SWNTs and the SWNT films deposited onto quartz substrates through filtration. A density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGU) has been used for enrichment of the initial carbon nanotube suspensions with semiconducting SWNTs and extraction of various diameter nanotubes to reveal a role of the nanotube interaction in the films. Optical diagnostic techniques including Raman spectroscopy, UV–VIS–NIR absorption spectroscopy, and PL have been used for characterization and comparison of the initial suspensions and films formed from them. A PL mapping has revealed an arrangement of carbon nanotubes inside the films. A cross‐linkage between the individual SWNTs appeared to be higher inside the films deposited via filtration than in the polymer films with dispersed SWNTs. magnified image The images of objects under investigation (from left to right): a SWNT suspension after DGU; a film deposited onto quartz substrate and a polymer film with embedded SWNTs