Transparent conducting film: Effect of mechanical stretching to optical and electrical properties of carbon nanotube mat

We describe in this paper a transparent conducting film (TCF). It is a fibrous layer of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), labeled a dilute CNT mat, that was prepared and unidirectionally stretched to improve both the optical and electrical properties. After stretching by 80% strain, transmittance at 550 nm wavelength was improved by 37% and sheet resistance was reduced to 71% of the original value. The improvement of the transmittance can be explained by increased area of the CNT mat after stretch, and the reduced sheet resistance can be explained by increased density of the CNT alignment in lateral direction due to contraction. Based on the microscopic observation before and after stretch, models to describe the phenomena are proposed. By further expanding on this method, it may be possible to obtain a transparent conducting carbon nanotube film which is crack-resistant for solar cell applications. © Indian Academy of Sciences.