Transparent, Conductive Carbon Nanotube Films

We describe a simple process for the fabrication of ultrathin, transparent, optically homogeneous, electrically conducting films of pure single-walled carbon nanotubes and the transfer of those films to various substrates. For equivalent sheet resistance, the films exhibit optical transmittance comp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2004-08, Vol.305 (5688), p.1273-1276
Main Authors: Wu, Zhuangchun, Chen, Zhihong, Du, Xu, Logan, Jonathan M., Sippel, Jennifer, Nikolou, Maria, Kamaras, Katalin, Reynolds, John R., Tanner, David B., Hebard, Arthur F., Rinzler, Andrew G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absorption spectra
Carbon electrodes
Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties
Electric fields
Electric potential
Electrical resistivity
Electrodes
Electrodes, Carbon
Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures
Electronic transport in multilayers, nanoscale materials and structures
Exact sciences and technology
Film Production
Indium tin oxides
Infrared radiation
Inhalants
Innovations
Ionic liquids
Material films
Nanotubes
Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation
Optical properties of low-dimensional, mesoscopic, and nanoscale materials and structures
Photographic film
Physics
Production processes
Properties
Thin films
Transistors
Transmittance
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Description
Summary:We describe a simple process for the fabrication of ultrathin, transparent, optically homogeneous, electrically conducting films of pure single-walled carbon nanotubes and the transfer of those films to various substrates. For equivalent sheet resistance, the films exhibit optical transmittance comparable to that of commercial indium tin oxide in the visible spectrum, but far superior transmittance in the technologically relevant 2- to 5-micro-meter infrared spectral band. These characteristics indicate broad applicability of the films for electrical coupling in photonic devices. In an example application, the films are used to construct an electric field-activated optical modulator, which constitutes an optical analog to the nanotube-based field effect transistor.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1101243