Owing to their unique electronic properties including ballistic electron transport and quantum tunneling, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have found practical applications in clean energy production, biological electrochemical analyses, and highly efficient electricity transportation. Many of these CNT applications have not yet been commercialized due to limited water processability and aggregation that are deleterious to electrical performance. We report improvements in electrical conductivity of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) thin films processed from aqueous colloids of nanotubes functionalized with carboxylic acid, hydroxyl, and amine groups mixed with dispersing agents including Laponite<sup>TM</sup> nanoparticles and surfactants. The influences of these dispersing agents and CNT functionalization on surface morphology and the formation of interconnected networks in SWCNT films were studied using tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. Conductive AFM analyses were conducted to determine the optimal electrical conductivity within CNT thin films. Combining organically modified SWCNTs and dispersing agents has proven to be a promising method to improve SWCNTs’ water processability and electrical conductivity.

Organic modifications to improve electrical conductivity in carbon nanotube thin films

2019 Spring National Meeting

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