Selective deposition and alignment of carbon nanotubes

This project will investigate chemistry-driven approaches for the area-selective placement and organization of nanoscale materials, with aligned CNTs as a key example. Particular attention will be given to understanding how dispersion chemistry, polymer wrapping, solvent and surface chemistry, and molecular interactions influence CNT placement, alignment, and pitch. Surface functionalization strategies, including self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), will be explored to create chemical contrast between different surface regions and thereby control where nanomaterials preferentially assemble.

The project will combine solution and surface chemistry with nanoscale materials characterization to establish relationships between chemical functionality, assembly conditions, and resulting material organization. By tackling the challenge of controlling nanoscale material placement from the molecular level to wafer-relevant dimensions, the project lies at the intersection of chemistry, nanotechnology, and emerging semiconductor applications. The work is particularly suited to a student with a strong background in chemistry, physical chemistry, polymer chemistry, surface chemistry, or nanomaterials and an interest in applying molecular-level control to future electronic technologies.

[1] Liu, L. et al. Aligned, high-density semiconducting carbon nanotube arrays for high-performance electronics. Science 368, 850–856 (2020)

[2] B. Wang et al., Nonideality in arrayed carbon nanotube field effect transistors revealed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, ACS Nano 18, 22474–22483 (2024)