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Anisotropic Electrical Transport Properties of Aligned Carbon Nanotube/PMMA Films Obtained by Electric‐Field‐Assisted Thermal Annealing
Author(s) -
Valentini Luca,
Bon Silvia Bittolo,
Kenny Josè M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.200800218
Subject(s) - materials science , carbon nanotube , electric field , nanocomposite , annealing (glass) , anisotropy , composite material , electrical resistivity and conductivity , thermal , thermal conductivity , composite number , nanotube , carbon nanotube actuators , optical properties of carbon nanotubes , optics , physics , electrical engineering , quantum mechanics , meteorology , engineering
This paper demonstrates how the electric‐field‐assisted thermal annealing of octadecylamine‐functionalized SWNT/PMMA films induces an increase in the composite transversal conductivity of several orders of magnitude and a decrease in the lateral conductivity. This difference has been rationalized in terms of the nanotube alignment into the polymer matrix along the electric field direction. This result provides an initial understanding of how electric fields can be used to control the bulk physical properties of such nanocomposites.