Reusable stencils create clean carbon nanotube patterns in single-stage process
Researchers from Skoltech and their colleagues from Harbin Institute of Technology in China and ITMO University in Russia have devised a way to deposit elaborate geometric patterns of carbon nanotubes without wasting material. Such patterns are used in advanced optical devices and mechanical strain sensors for structural integrity monitoring.
Researchers from Skoltech and collaborating institutions in China and Russia have developed a novel method for depositing intricate geometric patterns of carbon nanotubes. This single-stage process eliminates material waste and does not require additional chemicals. The technique employs a nitrocellulose membrane, a filter used in molecular biology, that is pressed with a stencil carrying the reversed desired pattern.
When the stencil is pressed at high pressure, it blocks specific pores in the membrane, creating a reusable template. The carbon nanotubes are then deposited through aerosol chemical vapor deposition, passing through the unclogged areas of the membrane and accumulating where desired. This approach preserves nanotube quality, avoids contamination, and allows for easy reuse of the template.
The method is scalable and demonstrated through practical applications such as strain sensors and tunable terahertz lenses.
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