STTR Phase I: Large-scale Manufacture of Exclusively Metallic or Semiconducting Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project targets the separation of metallic and semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) at industrial scale. The intellectual merit consists in enabling the efficient use of the multi-functionality of SWCNT. Successful completion will allow taking full advantage of metallic and mechanical properties, e.g., in transparent conducting films, and of semiconducting properties in electronic devices such as thin film transistors. The successful separation between metallic and semiconducting SWCNT includes enabling innovative electronic products, e.g. thin film transistors, sensors and memory with improved characteristics such as deposition on flexible, conformable and stretchable substrates. Solution processing of SWCNT will contribute significantly to safe handling and address environmental and health concerns. The project will contribute to the training of essential workforce in techniques necessary for the fast implementation of multifunctional materials in commercial products.