1. Super-aligned carbon nanotube film and its application in touch panels
Shoushan Fan
Department of Physics
Tsinghua-Foxconn Nanotechnology Research Center
Tsinghua University
Beijing, China

2. GOAL To make carbon nanotubes useful!
Tsinghua-Foxconn Nanotechnology Research Center
Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
GOAL
To make carbon nanotubes useful! 2

3. Reality and Dreams of Carbon Nanotubes
The Reality
The Dreams
Field emission
Nanoelectronics
Sensors
Photonics
SPM probes
Composites …
Laser Ar
C-H
Arc discharge
Laser ablation
CVD
To Make Carbon
Nanotubes in Order

4. Breakthrough in Making Orderly CNTs
Science
283 (1999) 512
Radom
Aligned
Super-Aligned
Nature
419 (2002) 801
CNT Films

5. Anisotropic Conductivity,
CNT Films and Unique Properties
1cm
8-inch wafer
Transparent,
Anisotropic Conductivity,
Flexible, Polarized
Free of catalyst
8” wafer m long film

6. Carbon Nanotube Film Touch Panel
CmHn
Advantages
Replacing indium with carbon
Truly flexible and durable,
Suitable for 3-D molding
No photolithography, due to anisotropic conductivity
High transparency, due to polarization of the CNT film
Advanced Functional Materials, 20 (2010) 885; 21 (2011) 2721   

7. Features of CNT Touch Panels
Radius of flexture: 5mm
CNT Film
Fixing Frame
Sliding Path: 120mm
Bending Test
Truly Flexible

8. Features of CNT Touch Panels
CNT touch panels are durable
Pen Pitting Durability Test
Scrape Durability Test
Weight: 500g
Pen size: 0.8mm (diameter)
Frequency: 3 knocks/sec.
Total: > 2 KK knocks (Pass)
Knocked side: Film-side
Scrape side: Film-side
Function Test : PASS
GLASS+FILM
PMMA+FILM
Pen Pitting Test
Scrape Test
CNT-Sensor
CNT-Sensor
PMMA
PMMA

9. Features of CNT Touch Panels
Optimized transparency for polarized light
CNT Film
Nature light e
CNT Film
LCD
Polarization of light e
CNT Film
Parallel
Perpendicular
Polarization of light
Parallel
45 degree
Perpendicular

10. Features of CNT Touch Panels Low reflectivity (3% less)
ITO
Low reflectivity (3% less)
Water proof
Anti-inteference
Touch force sensing

11. ITO CNT Processing Comparison: CNT & ITO CmHn CVD Raw materials
Forming films
Patterning
Vacuum
Evaporation
Sputtering
Indium & Tin
Mining
Smelting
Target preparation
Lithograph
Etching
Expensive
facilities
Pollution
ITO
Dry pulling
CmHn
CVD
6000C 30min NO
Patterning
CNT
For making 100 million TP, CNT processing saves
9 million kwh of electricity and 1 million tons of water

12. 8”- CNT Wafer: Mass Production

13. CNT Touch Panel: Mass Production
2,000 m2 cleanroom
2 million 4-7” CNT touch panels per month

14. CNT Touch Panel: Commercialization
2002
2005
2008
2012
Will.i.am
25 million CNT touch panels have been sold

15. Markets ? SACNT Wafer: Potential Applications
4-inch wafer
8-inch wafer
12-inch Quartz wafer
Super aligned carbon nanotubes
Carbon nanotubes with clean wall surface
No catalyst in CNT arrays
Easy to be patterned and transferred
Markets ?

16. CNT Wires: Ultrathin and Strong
Cu coated CNT wires
Ultra-thin diameter, High tensile strength, High flexibility
Low weight, bio-compatible

17. CNT Papers: Mass Production High permeability Bio-compatible
Parallel laying
Cross laying
Conducting Flexible Anti-corrosion
High permeability Bio-compatible

18. CNT films for Lithium Ion Batteries
Conductive network
Structural scaffold
Lightweight and flexible CNT film current collectors
Flexible and high strength
Better rate performance and excellent cycling
Lightweight and higher energy density
Adv. Mater. 2012, 24, 2294 ; Adv. Funct. Mater., 2013, 23, 846 ; Nano Lett., 2013, 13, 818

19. CNT-film/Polymer Composite Actuators Anisotropic conductivity

20. Carbon Nanotube Film Heating Devices
Polarized light
Micro-heater array
Flexible heater
Uniform heating Flexibility
Fast temperature response
Addressable micro-heater arrays
Looking for Real Applications
Advanced Materials, 21( 2009) 3563

21. Thermo-Acoustic Effect: CNT Film Speaker
Transparent, Flexible, Stretchable Speaker
Nano Letters，8 (2008) 4539

22. CNT thermoacoustic chips
Prototype Samples of CNT Speaker
Nano Lett. 13 (2013) 4795

23. Acknowledgment National Basic Research Program of China
National Science Foundation of China
Foxconn Technology Group

24. Thank You
谢 谢