Simple method to improve electrical conductivity of films made from single-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

Despite the widespread use of sonication for individualization of nanomaterials, its destructive nature is rarely acknowledged. In this study, we demonstrated how exposure of the material to a hostile sound wave environment can be limited by the application of another preprocessing step. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were initially ground in a household coffee grinder, which enabled facile deagglomeration thereof. Such a simple approach enabled us to obtain high-quality CNT dispersion at reduced sonication time. Most importantly, electrical conductivity of free-standing films prepared from these dispersion was improved almost fourfold as compared with unground material eventually reaching 1067 ± 34 S/cm. This work presents a new approach as to how electrical properties of nanocarbon ensembles may be enhanced without the application of doping agents, the presence of which is often ephemeral.