Versatile Carbon Hybrid Films Composed of Vertical Carbon Nanotubes Grown on Mechanically Compliant Graphene Films

摘要

Substrate materials for carbon nanotube (CNT) growth have been mostly limited to brittle and flat dielectric oxide materials, such as Al_2O_3 and SiO_2. An alternative substrate would (i) be stable at the moderately high temperatures needed for CNT growth, (ii) be mechanically compliant and stretchable for transfer to the widest array of base structures (flexible polymers, nonplanar structures, etc.), (iii) allow for the rapid and large-scale fabrication of complex device architectures, and (iv) if an electrically conductive substrate, would have Ohmic contacts at all junctions and similar work functions of CNT and the substrate, for efficient use of input electrical power. Thin films composed of overlapping nanoplatelets can satisfy either all four criteria or alternatively the first three criteria, if an electrically insulating substrate is desired.