Tsung-Chin Hou et al 2007 Nanotechnology 18 315501 doi:10.1088/0957-4484/18/31/315501
Tsung-Chin Hou1, Kenneth J Loh1 and Jerome P Lynch1,2,3
Show affiliationsThis paper describes the application of electrical impedance tomography (EIT) to demonstrate the multifunctionality of carbon nanocomposite thin films under various types of environmental stimuli. Carbon nanotube (CNT) thin films are fabricated by a layer-by-layer (LbL) technique and mounted with electrodes along their boundaries. The response of the thin films to various stimuli is investigated by relying on electric current excitation and corresponding boundary potential measurements. The spatial conductivity variations are reconstructed based on a mathematical model for the EIT technique. Here, the ability of the EIT method to provide two-dimensional mapping of the conductivity of CNT thin films is validated by (1) electrically imaging intentional structural defects in the thin films and (2) mapping the film's response to various pH environments. The ability to spatially image the conductivity of CNT thin films holds many promises for developing multifunctional CNT-based sensing skins.
68.55.-a Thin film structure and morphology
81.16.-c Methods of nanofabrication and processing
07.07.Df Sensors (chemical, optical, electrical, movement, gas, etc.); remote sensing
68.55.Ln Defects and impurities: doping, implantation, distribution, concentration, etc.
Instrumentation and measurement
Issue 31 (8 August 2007)
Received 22 April 2007, in final form 8 June 2007
Published 6 July 2007
Tsung-Chin Hou et al 2007 Nanotechnology 18 315501
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