Buckypaper fabrication by liberation of electrophoretically deposited carbon nanotubes

Free-standing films of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), also known as buckypapers, have been fabricated by a two-step process using electrophoretic deposition (EPD). Films of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes were cast onto stainless steel electrodes from aqueous suspensions by EPD. Using a facile mechanical cleavage technique, the films were liberated from their underlying electrodes to yield the buckypapers. We investigated the films’ thickness, morphology, and surface topology using, respectively, profilometry, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Mechanical characterization of the buckypapers revealed the average tensile strength and Young’s modulus to be 14.5 MPa and 3.3 GPa, respectively. This fabrication approach provides a cost effective, rapid, and reproducible method to make films of MWCNTs with a range of thicknesses and macroscopic lateral dimensions.