Multi-walled carbon nanotube coatings using electrophoretic deposition (EPD)

A method based on electrophoretic deposition (EPD) has been developed to produce uniform deposits of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on stainless-steel substrates. Aqueous suspensions were used under constant voltage conditions in the range of 5-50 V, with deposition times ranging from 0.5 to 10 min. The thickness of the coatings was controlled by variation of voltage and deposition time during EPD. Coatings of up to 10 mu m thickness were achieved, with a homogeneous microstructure. The EPD technique is fast, effective, and can be applied to complex shapes. Possible applications are in heat extraction devices or porous coatings for tissue engineering scaffolds.