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The effect of substrate pore size on the network interconnectivity and electrical properties of dropcasted multiwalled carbon nanotube thin films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 June 2013

Rachel L. Muhlbauer ,
Salil M. Joshi  and
Rosario A. Gerhardt
Rachel L. Muhlbauer
Affiliation:
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245
Salil M. Joshi
Affiliation:
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245
Rosario A. Gerhardt*
Affiliation:
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: rosario.gerhardt@mse.gatech.edu
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Abstract

Four-layer multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) thin films were deposited via dropcasting (1 mg/mL MWNTs and 10 mg/mL SDBS) onto filter papers that vary in pore size (1, 5, 25, and 40 µm) to determine the effect of the underlying substrate structure on the in-plane properties of the films. The films (<100 nm thick) were dried using vacuum filtration, and drying in a 65 °C heater with and without a ceramic heating board. DC resistance of the films ranged from 6 × 103 to 9.3 × 109 Ω. Impedance spectroscopy analysis revealed a low and a high frequency inductive response and two parallel R–C circuits for the more conducting thin films. High resistance films were fit by a single RC circuit with a constant-phase element. The differences in the in-plane electrical responses of the different MWNT films can be explained by the degree of carbon nanotube surface coverage, obtained as a result of using different pore size filter papers. The drying method utilized also affected the CNT network formation and its resultant electrical properties.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 28 , Issue 12 , 28 June 2013 , pp. 1617 - 1624
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2013 

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