Carbon Nanotubes For Wearable Electronics, Anyone?

While carbon nanotubes show promise, the jury is still out on whether they can be used for manufacturing wearable electronics.

AsianScientist (Sep. 19, 2016) – Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) show potential, but also many challenges, for the manufacture of flexible, wearable electronics, according to a review in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

Scientists are developing flexible, stretchable and wearable optoelectronic devices, such as body sensors that could provide continuous monitoring of a person’s blood pressure. An important component of optoelectronic devices is called transparent conductive films (TCFs), which are thin films of a material that is optically transparent and electrically conductive. Currently, they are manufactured using indium tin oxide, which has the advantage of excellent electrical conductive properties but the disadvantage of poor flexibility, making it unsuitable for wearable devices.

As an alternative to indium tin oxide, Dr. Zhou Ying and Professor Reiko Azumi from Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology reviewed the latest research on the use of CNTs, which are nanosized cylindrical tubes with high theoretical electrical conductivity, in optoelectronic devices.

According to the review, CNTs have dropped in price due to their commercialization for applications such as water filtration systems, sports equipment, and batteries and conductors, for example. However, the prices could be further reduced by improving manufacturing processes, the authors write. In addition, the conductivity and transparency of CNT-based TCFs need also to be improved.

“Based on the overview of the fabrication, properties and possible applications of CNT-based TCFs, it can be concluded that current CNT-based TCFs still do not meet the demands of performance/cost for industrial use,” wrote the researchers in their review.



The article can be found at: Zhou and Azumi (2016) Carbon Nanotube-Based Transparent Conductive Films: Progress, Challenges, and Perspectives.

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Source: Taylor and Francis Group; Photo: Zhou Ying and Reiko Azumi.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

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