SBIR Phase I: Bulk Production of Metallic-Enriched Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Creation of Nanocomposite Thin Films with Improved Performance Characteristics Compared to ITO

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is to develop methods of sorting metallic and semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) in an economically scalable manner and use them to form thin films. The goal of this proposal is to demonstrate the technological and commercial feasibility of using enriched SWNTs to fabricate nanocomposite thin films with performance criteria that match or exceed those of indium-tin oxide (ITO) coated polymeric substrates. The successful completion of this project would create methods to produce transparent conductors on flexible substrates at lowered costs with improved performance. The low temperature fabrication of transparent conductors would enable the development of flexible displays and flexible solar cells using inexpensive printing techniques.