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Printed carbon nanotube thin-film transistors: progress on printable materials and the path to applications.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Lu, S; Franklin, AD
Published in: Nanoscale
December 2020

Printing technologies have attracted significant attention owing to their potential use in the low-cost manufacturing of custom or large-area flexible electronics. Among the many printable electronic materials that have been explored, semiconducting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have shown increasing promise based on their exceptional electrical and mechanical properties, relative stability in air, and compatibility with several printing techniques to form semiconducting thin films. These attractive attributes make printed CNT thin films promising for applications including, but not limited to, sensors and display backplanes - at the heart of which is electronics' most versatile device: the transistor. In this review, we present a summary of recent advancements in the field of printed carbon nanotube thin-film transistors (CNT-TFTs). In addition to an introduction of different printing techniques, together with their strengths and limitations, we discuss key aspects of ink/material selection and processing of various device components, including the CNT channels, contacts, and gate insulators. It is clear that printed CNT-TFTs are rapidly advancing, but there remain challenges, which are discussed along with current techniques to resolve them and future developments towards practical applications from these devices. There has been interest in low-cost, printable transistors for many years and the CNT-TFTs show great promise for delivering, but will not become a reality without further research advancement.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Nanoscale

DOI

EISSN

2040-3372

ISSN

2040-3364

Publication Date

December 2020

Volume

12

Issue

46

Start / End Page

23371 / 23390

Related Subject Headings

  • Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
  • 51 Physical sciences
  • 40 Engineering
  • 34 Chemical sciences
  • 10 Technology
  • 03 Chemical Sciences
  • 02 Physical Sciences
 

Citation

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MLA
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Lu, S., & Franklin, A. D. (2020). Printed carbon nanotube thin-film transistors: progress on printable materials and the path to applications. Nanoscale, 12(46), 23371–23390. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0nr06231f
Lu, Shiheng, and Aaron D. Franklin. “Printed carbon nanotube thin-film transistors: progress on printable materials and the path to applications.Nanoscale 12, no. 46 (December 2020): 23371–90. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0nr06231f.
Lu, Shiheng, and Aaron D. Franklin. “Printed carbon nanotube thin-film transistors: progress on printable materials and the path to applications.Nanoscale, vol. 12, no. 46, Dec. 2020, pp. 23371–90. Epmc, doi:10.1039/d0nr06231f.
Journal cover image

Published In

Nanoscale

DOI

EISSN

2040-3372

ISSN

2040-3364

Publication Date

December 2020

Volume

12

Issue

46

Start / End Page

23371 / 23390

Related Subject Headings

  • Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
  • 51 Physical sciences
  • 40 Engineering
  • 34 Chemical sciences
  • 10 Technology
  • 03 Chemical Sciences
  • 02 Physical Sciences