Stripe Pattern Formation of Carbon Nanotubes by Self-assembly

Abstract

Self-assembly is a key process to assemble micro- and nanoscale objects into ordered macroscopic structures. Many studies have been conducted about formation process of self-assembled films and their electric properties using various materials. In recent, carbon nanotubes have been paid much attention because they exhibit attractive electronic, chemical and mechanical properties due to their quasi-one-dimensional structures. Remarkable feature of carbon nanotubes is that the physical properties are tuneable by controlling their fine structures. For this reason their assembled films are considered to be applicable to building biological sensors, chemical sensors, field-effect transistors and transparent conductive films in near future. Here we report self-assembly of pre-formed multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into two-dimensional patterns without using pre-printing substrates. We found that the thickness of the self-assembled MWCNTs films is controllable by changing MWNCT density of suspension and base pressure during solvent evaporation. This result would help us to understand the assembly mechanism of asymmetric nanoscale materials.