This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The main goal of this NSF project is to develop new class of hybrid composite structures based on highly organized singlewalled carbon nanotube (SWNT) architectures and polymer materials, for high performance functional flexible systems. Template guided fluidic assembly and chemical vapor deposition of SWNTs that produce two and three dimensional SWNT network architectures in macro/micro/nano scale will be developed. This will be followed by a transfer of organized nanotube structures into selected polymer matrices to create SWNT based flexible functional devices and systems. The fundamental assembly and transfer mechanisms will be investigated to develop a better understanding of the forces required to precisely control the assembly and transfer of SWNTs in a large scale. Also a methodology to tailor the electronic property of individual and bundles of SWNT will be investigated by understanding their fundamental growth and assembly mechanisms. These multi-dimensional networks of novel nanotubes-polymer hybrid structures will allow access to tailor electrical transport properties and their functionalities. These structures and properties have immense implications for the development of SWNT based functional flexible systems such as sensors, smart composite and high density logic gates etc. The research also emphasizes the participation, education, and training of undergraduate and underrepresented minority students. Students at all level will participate actively in frontline research projects that will culminate in peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations. This would provide a tremendous boost to the motivation and confidence in their field of study and also development of their academic careers toward science and technology.
