부산대학교 도서관

Induction thermal plasma was used to grow a large area, ∼150 mm × 450 mm, and ∼1000 μm thick multi-layered carbon nanotube film. The film is made of a loosely woven structure of single-walled carbon nanotubes uniformly distributed among metallic impurities and carbon black particles. Under cyclic compressive strain, the film acts as a viscoelastic material. A model based on tunneling conduction was used to describe its high piezoresistive sensitivity to normal pressure. The gauge factor obtained for this film was 76.3, more than 20 times higher than the values achieved with a standard buckypaper made from the same nanotube source. This fast and straightforward approach for synthesizing pressure sensitive films is done directly inside the processing system during the growth of the carbon nanotubes. It could provide the means for producing low cost large-scale sensors, such as smart materials for civil and mechanical structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]