Recyclable and electrically conducting carbon nanotube composite films

Abstract

Carbon nanotube (CNT) composite films possess unique electrical, mechanical and thermal properties. In particular, some research has shown that CNT–polymer composite films greatly enhance the performance of organic light-emitting diodes. Therefore, CNT composite films have been intensively fabricated and applied. However, recent research has shown that CNTs carry carcinogenic risks in vivo. Therefore, how to collect and treat damaged or trashed CNT composite films are considerable tasks for scientists working in this area. From the viewpoint of environmental protection and saving resources, recycling the CNT composite films is the most efficient way to solve these problems. Here, we employ a benign water-soluble polymer, polyethyleneimine (PEI), to disperse CNTs and a general spin-coating process to prepare the homogeneous CNT composite films. The prepared CNT composite films exhibit good water-soluble properties and recyclability, i.e. they can be formed and dissolved in water. In addition, the long CNTs and high loading in the PEI matrix facilitates good electric conductivity in these CNT composite films. A significant improvement in the conductivity of the composite films is observed as the concentration of CNTs in the PEI increases, reaching as high as 43.73 S cm⁻¹ when the CNT concentration is equal to 3%.