Preparation and characterization of graphene/carbon nanotube hybrid thin films by drop-coating

Abstract

Hybrid thin films were prepared via a drop-coating method by using graphene prepared by chemical vapor deposition(CVD) and carbon nanotube dispersed in 1, 2-dichlorobenzene as crude materials. The structure and morphology of hybrid thin films were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that surface density of carbon nanotube in the hybrid thin films increased linearly with the increase of dispersion concentration. Furthermore, the transmittance and sheet resistance of the hybrid thin films, which were characterized by UV-visible spectroscope and four-point probe analyzer, respectively, both significant decreased when concentration of the dispersed carbon nanotube increased. The two parameters, to be specific, were found to be 92.18% (at 550 nm) and 0.998 kΩ/⪡, respectively as the concentration of the dispersed carbon nanotube reaching 0.1 mg/mL. In other words, the performances of the hybrid thin films can be improved by regulating concentration of carbon nanotube in the dispersion, showing the films potential applications in the fields of transparent electrodes, field effect transistors and laser mode-locking.