title: Free-standing arrays of isolated TiO2 nanotubes through supercritical fluid drying.
abstract: A common complication in fabricating arrays of TiO(2) nanotubes is that they agglomerate into tightly packed bundles during the inevitable solvent evaporation step. This problem is particularly acute for template-fabricated TiO(2) nanotubes, as the geometric tunability of this technique enables relatively large inter-pore spacings or, from another perspective, more space for lateral displacement. Our work showed that agglomeration results from the surface tension forces that are present as the ambient solvent is evaporated from the nanotube film. Herein, we report a processing and fabrication approach that utilizes supercritical fluid drying (CO(2)) to prepare arrays of template-fabricated TiO(2) nanotubes that are free-standing and spatially isolated. This approach could be beneficial to many emerging technologies, such as solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells and vertically-oriented carbon nanotube electrodes.
authors.affiliation: Materials & Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, 2941 Hobson Way, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433, USA.
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Deneault
authors.forename: Xiaoyin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Tae-Sik
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Joanna S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chien M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Wai
authors.forename: Gail J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Durstock
mesh_terms: D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D004566:Electrodes; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry; D012993:Solar Energy; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; C009495:titanium dioxide; D014025:Titanium