Multifunctional polymer and aligned carbon nanotube nanocomposites

Abstract

The excellent optoelectronic, mechanical, and thermal properties of carbon nanotubes have made them very attractive for a wide range of potential applications. However, many applications require the growth of aligned/micropatterned carbon nanotubes with or without a modified nanotube surface. We have developed a simple pyrolytic method for large-scale production of aligned carbon nanotube arrays perpendicular to the substrate surface. We have also used photolithographic and soft-lithographic techniques for patterning the aligned carbon nanotubes with a sub-micrometer resolution. These aligned carbon nanotube arrays can be transferred onto various substrates of particular interest in either a patterned or non-patterned fashion. The well-aligned structure further allows us to prepare aligned coaxial nanowires of carbon nanotubes sheathed with polymers and to modify the surface of individual carbon nanotubes by plasma treatment. This, coupled with further chemical modification via reactions characteristic of the polymer coating and/or plasma-induced functionalities, opens up many possibilities for making novel polymer and carbon nanotube nanocomposites with desirable features for multifunctional materials and device applications.