Adhesion of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Thin Films with Different Materials

Pramod M Rajanna; Sergey Luchkin; Konstantin V Larionov; Artem Grebenko; Zakhar I Popov; Pavel B Sorokin; Mati Danilson; Sergei Bereznev; Peter D Lund; Albert G Nasibulin

doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b03552

Adhesion of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Thin Films with Different Materials

J Phys Chem Lett. 2020 Jan 16;11(2):504-509. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b03552. Epub 2020 Jan 6.

Authors

Pramod M Rajanna^{1

2}, Sergey Luchkin¹, Konstantin V Larionov^{3

4

5}, Artem Grebenko^{1

5}, Zakhar I Popov^{3

6}, Pavel B Sorokin^{3

4

5}, Mati Danilson⁷, Sergei Bereznev⁷, Peter D Lund², Albert G Nasibulin^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology , Nobel Street 3 , Moscow 121205 , Russia.
² Aalto University , P.O. Box 15100, FI-00076 Espoo , Finland.
³ National University of Science and Technology MISIS , 4 Leninskiy Prospekt , Moscow 119049 , Russia.
⁴ Technological Institute for Superhard and Novel Carbon Materials , 7a Centralnaya Street, Troitsk , Moscow 108840 , Russia.
⁵ Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology , Institute Lane 9 , Dolgoprudniy 141701 , Moscow District , Russia.
⁶ Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences , 4 Kosygina strasse , Moscow 119334 , Russia.
⁷ Tallinn University of Technology , Department of Materials and Environmental Technology , Ehitajate tee 5 , 19086 Tallinn , Estonia.

PMID: 31892279
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b03552

Abstract

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) possess extraordinary physical and chemical properties. Thin films of randomly oriented SWCNTs have great potential in many opto-electro-mechanical applications. However, good adhesion of SWCNT films with a substrate material is pivotal for their practical use. Here, for the first time, we systematically investigate the adhesion properties of SWCNT thin films with commonly used substrates such as glass (SiO₂), indium tin oxide (ITO), crystalline silicon (C-Si), amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), zirconium oxide (ZrO₂), platinum (Pt), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and SWCNTs for self-adhesion using atomic force microscopy. By comparing the results obtained in air and inert Ar atmospheres, we observed that the surface state of the materials greatly contributes to their adhesion properties. We found that the SWCNT thin films have stronger adhesion in an inert atmosphere. The adhesion in the air can be greatly improved by a fluorination process. Experimental and theoretical analyses suggest that adhesion depends on the atmospheric conditions and surface functionalization.