Structural and Thermoelectric Properties of Optically Transparent Thin Films Based on Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

Thin films have been produced via a spray method from commercially available single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). A SWCNT film thickness has ranged from ~10 to ~80 nm. The SWCNT diameter has accepted values of 1.6–1.8 nm. The existence of SWCNTs longer than 10 μm is established. The optimal thickness of a SWCNT thin film is found to be ~15 nm at which the transmittance exceeds 85%. The specific resistance of SWCNT thin films goes from ~1.5 × 10–3 to ~3 × 10–3 Ohm cm at room temperature. The pioneering study of the temperature dependences of the Seebeck coefficient and surface resistance is performed for this type of SWCNT. A surface resistance is found to increase with rising temperature. Furthermore, the Seebeck coefficient of SWCNT thin films weakly depends on temperature. Its value for all samples is evaluated to be ~40 μV/K. According to the sign of the Seebeck coefficient, thin films exhibit hole-type conductivity. Moreover, the power factor of a 15-nm thin SWCNT-film decreases with a temperature increase to 140◦C from the value of approximately ~120 to ~60 μW m–1 K–2. A further rise in temperature has led to a gain in the power factor.