Preparing liquid crystalline dispersion of high aspect ratio carbon nanotubes

Abstract

We successfully prepare the surfactant-assisted carbon nanotube (CNT) liquid crystal (LC) dispersion with double-walled CNTs (DWCNTs) having a high aspect ratio (~1378). Compared to dispersions of lower aspect ratio CNTs, the transition concentrations from isotropic phase to biphasic state, and from biphasic state to nematic phase are lowered, which is consistent with the predictions of Onsager theory. An aligned CNT film was prepared from the DWCNT dispersion by a simple bar-coating method. Regardless of the higher aspect ratio, the order parameter obtained from the film is comparable to that from CNTs with lower aspect ratios. This finding implies that precise control of the film formation process, including a proper selection of substrate and deposition/drying steps, is crucial to maximize CNT-LC utilization.