Synthesis and characterization of carbon nanotube-conducting polymer thin films

In this study heterostructures were obtained as thin films of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) /conducting polymers (CP) on transparent substrates. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were deposited on a transparent substrate and used as electrodes in order to grow a thin film of CP on it electrochemically. The resulting heterostructure may be sufficiently transparent and electrically conductive to be used in practical applications. We obtained different SWCNT-CP films by using polypyrrole or polyaniline as CPs, having varied throughout the chemical and electrochemical conditions. We measured the optical absorption and electrical conductivity in order to optimize the conditions for obtaining films that have both high electrical conductivity and transparency. We analyzed the thin films that were obtained by Raman spectroscopy in order to characterize them. Raman spectroscopy shows evidence of the possible interaction between CNTs and CPs. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.