SouthWest NanoTechnologies has synthesized a novel single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) product named SG65i, which has very high composition of semiconducting SWCNT species.
SG65i is designed for printed electronics applications. Its predecessor is SG65, which is widely accepted for its quality and reliability and has been selected by NIST for its standard reference material source for SWCNT. SouthWest NanoTechnologies produces both SG65i and SG65 using its patented CoMoCAT technique, which can manipulate the chirality of SWCNTs.
SWCNTs can be either semiconducting or metallic based on their chirality and diameter. The term ‘chirality’ represents the unique structure of a nanotube. The concentration of semiconducting SWCNTs in SG65i as synthesized is more than 95%, which means prior to secondary operations that are generally high-cost and time-consuming processes used for reducing the concentration of metallic SWCNTs. On the other hand, the concentration of semiconducting species in other SWCNTs as synthesized is roughly 67%.
For semiconductor applications, the presence of substantial quantity of metallic SWCNT concentration affects the intrinsic properties of semiconducting SWCNTs. Moreover, secondary processes are slow, high-cost, low-yield and harmful to the remaining SWCNTs. The new product not only enhances the yield of semiconducting SWCNTs but also lowers the process time and cost and improves device performance. SG65i is offered either as printable ink, solvent or aqueous based dispersions, or as a dry powder.
The Chief Executive Officer at SouthWest NanoTechnologies, Dave Arthur stated that SG65i will be helpful in developing new class of applications with superior performance and at lower cost. Moreover, the company will keep on upgrading its processes to produce better semiconductor-enriched products, with the objective of putting an end to secondary operations completely.
Source: http://www.swentnano.com