Transfer and alignment of random single-walled carbon nanotube films by contact printing.

Abstract

We present a simple method to transfer large-area random single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) films grown on SiO(2) substrates onto another surface through a simple contact printing process. The transferred random SWCNT films can be assembled into highly ordered, dense regular arrays with high uniformity and reproducibility by sliding the growth substrate during the transfer process. The position of the transferred SWCNT film can be controlled by predefined patterns on the receiver substrates. The process is compatible with a variety of substrates, and even metal meshes for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can be used as receiver substrates. Thus, suspended web-like SWCNT networks and aligned SWCNT arrays can be formed over the grids of TEM meshes, so that the structures of the transferred SWCNTs can be directly observed by TEM. This simple technique can be used to controllably transfer SWCNTs for property studies, for the fabrication of devices, or even as support films for TEM meshes.