Polymer and aligned carbon nanotube nanocomposites and nanodevices

We have previously developed a simplepyrolytic method for large-scale production of aligned carbon nanotube arrays perpendicular to the substrate. These aligned carbon nanotube arrays can be transferred onto various substrates of particular interest in either a patterned or non-patterned fashion. The well-aligned structure provides additional advantages for not only an efficient device construction but also surface functionalization (both the inner and outer wall). The surface functionalization of aligned carbon nanotubes is particularly attractive, as it allows surface characteristics of the aligned carbon nanotubes to be tuned to meet specific requirements for particular applications while their alignment structure can be largely retained. These aligned carbon nanotubes with tunable surface characteristics are of great significance to various practical applications, including nanotube sensors and optoelectronics. For instance, we have previously immobilized glucose oxidase (GOX) onto the aligned multi-wall carbon nanotube arrays by electropolymerization of pyrrole in the presence of GOX The resultant GOX-containing polypyrrole-carbon nanotube coaxial nanowires were shown to be promising new sensing active materials for making advanced glucose sensors with a high sensitivity. Also, single-strand DNA chains have recently been chemically grafted onto aligned carbon nanotube electrodes, leading to novel aligned carbon nanotube-DNA sensors of a high sensitivity and selectivity for probing complementary DNA and target DNA chains of specific sequences. More recently, we have also developed a rational approach to partially coat perpendicularly-aligned carbon nanotube arrays with an appropriate polymer thin film along their tube length to create synergetic effects, which provide the basis for developing novel sensors for the detection of chemical vapors, thermal and mechanical stimuli with a high sensitivity, good selectivity, excellent environmental stability, and low power consumption. In this talk, we will summarize our work on the preparation of polymer and aligned carbon nanotube nanocomposites and nanodevices. Potential applications of polymer and aligned carbon nanotube nanocomposites in other areas will also be discussed.