Large Area Carbon Nanotube Films

Abstract

Carbon nanotube films can be used in a wide range of applications, from fuel cells, storage batteries, and super-capacitors, electron field emitters for displays, x-ray and beam sources, heat sinks and heat spreaders, and chemically robust filtering membranes, to name a few. Present approaches to carbon nanotube film production rely on filtration of a suspension, but creating this suspension requires the use of toxic and hazardous reagents and lengthy processing times. We describe an approach of uniaxial die pressing that incorporates a sacrificial layer to prevent binding of the carbon nanotube film to the compression surfaces. Water, or other solvents, acts as a release agent. No binder is used. The process is scalable in terms of film thickness and area. Development of an extrusion process employing these principles is described.