A Simple Approach to the Fabrication of Transparent Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Films of High Electrical and Optical Performance

A simple approach to the fabrication of transparent single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) films is introduced. The process features an in-situ deposition of SWNTs in an arc-discharge chamber, followed by adhesion promotion and purification. The process skips the inconvenience of CNT dispersion and coating, which are usually conducted in conventional methods. The role of each purification step, oxidation and chemical etching, is critically discussed in relation with its respective effects on the enhancement of the transmittance and the conductivity. The SWNT film exhibited 90 % transparency with a 660 S/cm electrical conductivity.