The production of horizontally aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes

The current progress on the production of aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), particularly the horizontally aligned ones, is reviewed. There are two main categories for the alignment of SWCNTs: the post synthesis assembly and the in situ growth approaches. The post synthesis assembly approach mainly involves dispersing SWCNTs in solutions and aligning SWCNTs using spin-coating, Langmuir-Blodgett assembly, mechanical shearing, or blown bubble film techniques. The in situ growth approach produces aligned SWCNTs directly during their growth using controlled chemical vapor deposition and arc discharge techniques. The latter approach has the advantage of avoiding the defects generated during the post treatment methods, and may also be combined with other growth controls such as structure selectivity of SWCNTs and direct device patterning for scale up applications. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.