Continuous manufacturing of aligned carbon nanotube films

Erik S. Polsen, Sameh Tawfick, Eric R. Meshot, A. John Hart

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

We present a continuous manufacturing process for low-cost and scalable production of vertically aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) forests, along with continuous rolling of the CNTs to create horizontally aligned (HA) CNT ribbons and sheets. These methods are capable of producing uniform films over wafer-scale dimensions and beyond, and the CNTs can be patterned by lithography and plasma etching to achieve feature dimensions down to the micron scale. In this paper, we describe the design, manufacturing and related process physics of (1) a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber apparatus for continuous CNT forest growth on a re-circulating catalyst-coated substrate; and (2) a mechanical rolling machine for CNT densification and transfer printing. Together, these innovations enable the growth of high quality, ordered CNTs, to be integrated with electronics and composites manufacturing on arbitrary substrates, including flexible plastics, fiber laminates, and metal foils.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationTransactions of the North American Manufacturing Research Institution of SME 2010, NAMRI/SME
Pages663-670
Number of pages8
StatePublished - 2010
Externally publishedYes
Event38th Annual North American Manufacturing Research Conference, NAMRC 38 - Kingston, ON, Canada
Duration: May 25 2010May 28 2010

Publication series

NameTransactions of the North American Manufacturing Research Institution of SME
Volume38
ISSN (Print)1047-3025

Other

Other38th Annual North American Manufacturing Research Conference, NAMRC 38
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityKingston, ON
Period5/25/105/28/10

Keywords

  • Carbon nanotubes
  • Chemical vapor deposition
  • Nanomanufacturing
  • Printing
  • Rolling

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

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