Carbon nanotube films: properties and applications

The present thesis of research doctorate is about carbon nanotube films. The purpose of this thesis is to clearly elucidate the unique properties of carbon nanotube films, showing how their technological potential can be exploited for state-of-the-art realizations. The first section of this thesis introduces carbon nanotubes, briefly describing their structure and electronic properties. The second section focuses on carbon nanotube film realization and deposition techniques. In the third section, carbon nanotube film physical properties and features such as their purity, structure and morphology, thickness, wetting, optical, electrical, electronic transport, and biomimetic properties are discussed. The last section relies on the realization and characterization of few carbon nanotube film applications such as hydrophobic and super-hydrophobic coatings; carbon nanotube/silicon, carbon nanotube/amorphous silicon, and carbon nanotube/polymer photovoltaic devices.