Buckled carbon nanotube network thin-film fabricated using chemically swelled elastomer substrates

We report on the fabrication of buckled carbon nanotube thin-film networks (CNTN) that increases in conductivity with applied tactile pressure. When tactile pressure was applied, the buckled nanotubes collapsed and increased in interconnected density and as a result increased the thin-film conductiv...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nanotechnology 2019-07, Vol.30 (28), p.285501-285501
Main Authors: Kim, Hongjun, Choi, Eunsuk, Jung, Minho, Sul, Onejae, Lee, Seung-Beck
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
buckled film
buckling
carbon nanotube thin-film network
chemical swelling effect
pressure sensor
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Summary:We report on the fabrication of buckled carbon nanotube thin-film networks (CNTN) that increases in conductivity with applied tactile pressure. When tactile pressure was applied, the buckled nanotubes collapsed and increased in interconnected density and as a result increased the thin-film conductivity. Unlike conventional methods using mechanically expanded elastomers, we utilize chemically swollen elastomers as the expanded substrate to transfer the CNTN. As the chemical evaporates, it compresses the CNTN causing the thin-film to buckle. The CNTN compression can be controlled by using organic solvents with differing elastomer absorption rates. Our method requires no mechanical instruments and shows in-plane multi-axial uniform strain for the entire substrate surface. Since the buckling was controlled chemically, the buckled CNTN can be produced reliably, furthering the possibility of its application as the active sensing material for highly sensitive tactile pressure sensors.
ISSN:0957-4484
1361-6528
DOI:10.1088/1361-6528/ab1363