Fabrication of Carbon Nanotube Networks on Three-Dimensional Building Blocks and Their Applications

Three-dimensional (3D) networks of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were fabricated on a pillarpatterned substrate by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). To fabricate 3D networks of CNTs, highly crystalline single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) should be synthesize on the substrate. PECVD has advantages for low temperature growth and alignment of CNTs on the substrate, but it is difficult to synthesize highly crystalline SWCNTs using this technique due to the plasma etching effect. To reduce the plasma etching effect, a metal mesh was installed above the substrate. The use of the mesh allowed the fabrication and modification of highly crystalline SWCNT 3D networks minimizing the plasma etching effects.