Nanostructuration Impact on the Basic Properties of the Materials: Novel Composite Carbon Nanotubes on a Copper Surface

Abstract

Copper is important material that is widely applicable in the electric and electronic industries. Nevertheless, in some circumstances, it is highly desirable to improve its properties. Therefore, combination of materials of various composition and properties attracts scientific and industrial society. Here, the composite based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on a Cu surface was fabricated using laser-oriented deposition (LOD) technique and studied. Examination of the novel composite showed that its reflectance was decreased, the microhardness was increased, and wetting of the surface exhibited higher hydrophobicity. A molecular dynamic simulation showed that the penetration depth increases with nanotube diameter decrease and growth of the acceleration rate. Topography observations made via AFM images revealed a dense thin film with an almost-homogeneous distribution of CNTs, with several locations with irregular thickness addressing the different lengths of CNTs.

Polymer/Fullerene Nanocomposite for Optoelectronics—Moving toward Green Technology

“…In this case, a solar cell efficiency of ~9% was obtained, which was high enough to obtain a high-performance solar cell device. Another successful system identified for the solar cell was poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl): [6,6]penyl-C61-butyric-acid-methyl-ester (P3HT:PCBM) [76]. For bulk heterojunction solar cell application, P3HT:PCBM film was developed through the spin-casting technique.…”

“…Optoelectronic devices can transform electrical energy into light energy using semiconducting materials [4,5]. Important optoelectronic devices include the light-emitting diode, the photovoltaic device, and the optical sensor [5][6][7]. The use of nanocomposites and green nanomaterials in optoelectronics has been investigated [8,9].…”

Perspective Coatings Based on Structured Conducting ITO Thin Films for General Optoelectronic Applications

“…The aim of the current research is to continue the modification of the ITO layer with CNTs and to estimate in detail the influence of laser-oriented deposited (LOD) SWCNTs on the properties of the ITO. The principal difference separating the LOD technique from other methods is the ability to deposit CNTs on materials with various natural structures (metals [40], ceramics [41,42], and semiconductors [23]) via their implantation under the influence of an electrical field [43]. The feature of CNT implantation controlled under an external electric field allows for finding the optimal deposition regime with a significant improvement of the mechanical and optical properties [23,[40][41][42][43][44].…”

“…The principal difference separating the LOD technique from other methods is the ability to deposit CNTs on materials with various natural structures (metals [40], ceramics [41,42], and semiconductors [23]) via their implantation under the influence of an electrical field [43]. The feature of CNT implantation controlled under an external electric field allows for finding the optimal deposition regime with a significant improvement of the mechanical and optical properties [23,[40][41][42][43][44]. It should be mentioned that for the system "ITO-CNTs", a dramatic change in wettability is observed.…”

Carbon Nanotube Coatings’ Role in Transparency, Mechanical Hardness, and Wetting Angle Increase

“…To reveal these advantages of CNTs via the use of the LOD approach, different types of optical materials, such as metals Al and Cu [23,24], semiconductors ZnSe and ZnS [25,26], and optical crystals KBr, LiF, and MgF 2 [27][28][29], ITO conductive layers [30,31] are treated to vertically deposit the nano-objects mentioned above in order to change the refractivity, the spectral and mechanical characteristics, and the wetting phenomena of the materials.…”