title: Side group of poly(3-alkylthiophene)s controlled dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotubes for transparent conducting film.
abstract: Controlled dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in common solvents is a challenging issue, especially for the rising need of low cost flexible transparent conducting films (TCFs). Utilizing conductive polymer as surfactant to facilitate SWCNTs solubility is the most successful pragmatic approach to such problem. Here, we show that dispersion of SWCNT with polymer significantly relies on the length of polymer side groups, which not only influences the diameter distribution of SWCNTs in solution, also eventually affects their effective TCF performance. Surfactants with longer side groups covering larger nanotube surface area could induce adequate steric effect to stabilize the wrapped SWCNTs against the nonspecific aggregation, as discerned by the optical and microscopic measurements, also evidenced from the resultant higher electrokinetic potential. This approach demonstrates a facile route to fabricate large-area SWCNTs-TCFs exhibiting high transmittance and high conductivity, with considerable uniformity over 10 cm × 10 cm.
authors: Center for Condensed Matter Science, National Taiwan University , Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
authors: Wei-Chao
authors: WC
authors: Chen
authors: Hsiang-Ting
authors: HT
authors: Lien
authors: Tzu-Wei
authors: TW
authors: Cheng
authors: Chaochin
authors: C
authors: Su
authors: Cheong-Wei
authors: CW
authors: Chong
authors: Abhijit
authors: A
authors: Ganguly
authors: Kuei-Hsien
authors: KH
authors: Chen
authors: Li-Chyong
authors: LC
authors: Chen
keywords: SWNT dispersion; alkyl side group effect; carbon nanotubes; regioregular poly(3-alkylthiophene) (rrP3AT); transparent conducting film (TCF); zeta potential