Abstract
Patterning and modification of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNT “forests”) enables engineering of interesting and useful surface properties. For example, CNT forests can be transformed from dissipative foams to tough, rigid solids by vapor-phase infiltration of ceramics or metals; and their wettability can be tailored by thin polymer coatings that enable their use as liquid-stable nanoporous materials. Building from this understanding, I will describe: (1) use of polymer-coated CNT forests as nanoporous stamps for flexographic printing, which enable ultrathin films of colloidal nanomaterials to be printed with micron-scale resolution at industrially relevant speed; and (2) realization of electricallyswitchable dry adhesives using dielectric-coated CNT forests, with potential applications in transfer printing of nanomaterials and robotic grasping.
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