Terahertz conductivity of anisotropic single walled carbon nanotube films

Absorption and dispersion of singlewalled carbon nanotube films were measured using an optoelectronic THz beam system for THz time-domain spectroscopy. The anisotropically aligned nanotube films were prepared through simple mechanical squeezing with a bar coater. The angle-dependent absorption and dispersion values were then measured. Results indicate that the index of refraction decreases with increasing frequency (0.1-0.8 THz), whereas the real conductivity increases with increasing frequency. The real conductivity measured is not congruent with the simple Drude model, but it follows a Maxwell-Garnett model, where the nanotubes are embedded in a dielectric host. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.