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Controlled Assembly of Carbon Nanotube Fibrils by Dielectrophoresis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

J. Tang ,
G. Yang ,
J. Zhang ,
H. Z. Geng ,
B. Gao ,
O. Velev ,
L.-C. Qin  and
O. Zhou
J. Tang
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, U.S.A. National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan
G. Yang
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, U.S.A.
J. Zhang
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, U.S.A.
H. Z. Geng
Affiliation:
Curriculum in Applied and Materials Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, U.S.A.
B. Gao
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, U.S.A.
O. Velev
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, U.S.A.
L.-C. Qin
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, U.S.A. Curriculum in Applied and Materials Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, U.S.A.
O. Zhou
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, U.S.A. Curriculum in Applied and Materials Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, U.S.A.
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Abstract

Although advances have been made in the synthesis of raw carbon nanotube (CNT) materials, the lack of efficient processes for assembly and integration of CNTs into functional forms has hindered the development of CNT-based devices. Here we report a dielectrophorestic method to manipulate, align and assemble CNTs into one-dimensional nanostructures using an alternating-current electric field. Pre-formed CNTs dispersed in water are assembled into micro-electrodes and sub-micron diameter fibrils with variable lengths from 1 μm to over 1 cm. The CNTs within the fibril are bonded by van der Waals forces and are aligned along the fibril axis. This method affords fine control of the fibril length and is capable of parallel fabrication of multiple fibrils using the same material source. The short CNT fibrils can potentially be used as probes for scanning probe microscopes and the long ones as electrodes or conducting nanowires.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 788: Symposium L – Continuous Nanophase and Nanostructured Materials , 2003 , L8.27
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

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References

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