Organizing carbon nanotubes with liquid crystals

Single- and multiwalled carbon nanotubes dispersed in nematic liquid crystal (LC) solvents are found to be orientationally ordered by the nematic matrix. Procedures are demonstrated for the preparation of monolayer and multilayer nanotube films with organization controlled using well-established methods of LC alignment, including grooved surfaces, magnetic fields, and patterned electrodes. LC alignment should be possible with other nanometer-sized building blocks, offering a general route for controlled assembly of organized nanomaterials and devices.