A Review of Carbon Nanotube‐ and Graphene‐Based Flexible Thin‐Film Transistors

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene have attracted great attention for numerous applications for future flexible electronics, owing to their supreme properties including exceptionally high electronic conductivity and mechanical strength. Here, the progress of CNT- and graphene-based flexible thin-film transistors from material preparation, device fabrication techniques to transistor performance control is reviewed. State-of-the-art fabrication techniques of thin-film transistors are divided into three categories: solid-phase, liquid-phase, and gas-phase techniques, and possible scale-up approaches to achieve realistic production of flexible nanocarbon-based transistors are discussed. In particular, the recent progress in flexible all-carbon nanomaterial transistor research is highlighted, and this all-carbon strategy opens up a perspective to realize extremely flexible, stretchable, and transparent electronics with a relatively low-cost and fast fabrication technique, compared to traditional rigid silicon, metal and metal oxide electronics.

The development of flexible integrated circuits based on thin-film transistors

“…This Perspective focuses on the mature technologies that are available in semiconductor fabrication plants ('fabs') today. It is also worth noting a number of encouraging recent developments with carbon nanotubes [12][13][14][15] and several two-dimensional semiconductors 16 , such as graphene 15,17,18 , black phosphorus 19 and chalcogenides [20][21][22][23] , which could provide next-generation flexible TFT IC technologies, either as novel standalone transistor technologies or by complementing existing TFTs. Furthermore, a key benefit of some TFT technologies is the possibility to use additive manufacturing techniques like printing, which could reduce costs [24][25][26][27][28][29] .…”

Cu-metalated carbyne acting as a promising molecular wire

“…1 Representative carbon-based nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene, have been heavily studied by both theorists and experimentalists, and significant scientific and industrial applications have also been exploited. [2][3][4] In contrast, carbyne, another member of the carbon family, has made very limited progress, [5][6][7][8] though many interesting physical applications have been suggested in theory. [9][10][11] This is closely related to its atomic and electronic structures.…”

π-Conjugated polymers with pendant coumarins: design, synthesis, characterization, and interactions with carbon nanotubes

“…[7][8][9] These properties have spawned investigation of SWNTs in a variety of applications, including field-effect transistors (FETs), 10,11 sensors, [12][13][14][15][16] photovoltaics, [17][18][19] flexible printed circuits, 20 touch screens, 21 microelectronic interconnects, 22 and numerous other devices. 23 However, application of these novel nanostructures is often hampered by the heterogeneous character of as-produced SWNT samples.…”