Free-standing highly conductive transparent ultrathin single-walled carbon nanotube films

Transparent and conductive single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) films are of great importance to a number of applications such as optical and electronic devices. Here, we describe a simple approach for preparing free-standing highly conductive transparent SWNT films with a 20-150 nm thickness by spray coating from surfactant-dispersed aqueous solutions of SWNTs synthesized by an improved floating-catalyst growth method. After the HNO₃ treatment, dipping the SWNT films supporting on glass substrates in water resulted in a quick and nondestructive self-release to form free-standing ultrathin SWNT films on the water surface. The obtained films have sufficiently high transmittance (i.e., 95%), a very low sheet resistance (i.e., ∼120 δ/sq), and a small average surface roughness (i.e., ∼3.5 nm for a displayed 10×10 μm area). Furthermore, the floating SWNT films on the water surface were easily transferred to any substrates of interest, without intense mechanical and chemical treatments, to preserve their original sizes and network structures. For example, the transferred SWNT films on poly(ethylene terephthalate) films are mechanically flexible, which is a great advantage over conventional indium-tin oxide (ITO) and therefore strongly promise to be "post ITO" for many applications.