Direct current injection and thermocapillary flow for purification of aligned arrays of single-walled carbon nanotubes

作者：Xie Xu; Wahab Muhammad A; Li Yuhang; Islam Ahmad E; Tomic Bojan; Huang Jiyuan; Burns Branden; Seabron Eric; Dunham Simon N; Du Frank; Lin Jonathan; Wilson William L; Song Jizhou; Huang Yonggang; Alam Muhammad A; Rogers John A^*

来源：Journal of Applied Physics, 2015, 117(13): 134303.

DOI：10.1063/1.49165371

Aligned arrays of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWNTs) represent ideal configurations for use of this class of material in high performance electronics. Development of means for removing the metallic SWNTs (m-SWNTs) in as-grown arrays represents an essential challenge. Here, we introduce a simple scheme that achieves this type of purification using direct, selective current injection through interdigitated electrodes into the m-SWNTs, to allow their complete removal using processes of thermocapillarity and dry etching. Experiments and numerical simulations establish the fundamental aspects that lead to selectivity in this process, thereby setting design rules for optimization. Single-step purification of arrays that include thousands of SWNTs demonstrates the effectiveness and simplicity of the procedures. The result is a practical route to large-area aligned arrays of purely s-SWNTs with low-cost experimental setups.

• 出版日期2015-4-7
• 单位北京航空航天大学; 西北大学; 浙江大学