ABSTRACT
Individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have a low density, high stiffness, and high axial strength. CNT thin films exhibit superior visible and infrared optical transmittance comparable with the commercial indium tin oxide layer. Dispersion of single-walled CNTs in aqueous solution can be achieved with surfactants or biomolecules. Semiconducting CNTs used in field-effect transistors exhibit near ballistic transport and high mobility. Single-walled CNTs can be synthesized by arc-discharge, laser ablation, and chemical vapor deposition methods. Random CNT networks can be deposited or transferred onto various substrates such as silicon wafer, quartz, glass, or flexible polymeric film. Solution-processable random CNT networks are easy to manipulate. However, the performance of random CNT network transistors is so far not competitive with traditional siliconbased devices. The potential application of random carbon networks may first be realized in novel devices such as chemical biosensors, because the cylindrical nanometer scale structure of CNTs can be readily attached by molecules.
