Transparent_Conductive_CNTs 2019 : Advances in Transparent, Conductive Carbon Nanotube Films

Dear Colleagues,

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted a broad interest within the scientific community over the past decades due to their extraordinary electrical, optical, mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties. The need to replace Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) in transparent electrodes arises from the potential future scarcity of indium and its consequent rising cost, as well as its related environmental issues. Their high electrical conductivity, along with their low optical conductivity, have made carbon nanotube films promising candidates for the development of transparent conducting elements that may replace ITO. These are key components in devices like displays, touch screens, LEDs, or solar cells, which are ubiquitous in everyday life. Moreover, CNT films offer flexibility, which is a potential advantage that ITO does not offer and expands its possible applications in the field of flexible electronics.

Significant progress has been made over the last fifteen years in developing CNT-based transparent electrodes. Despite other nanomaterials have been proposed over the years for the same application, significant work is still ongoing on CNTs. This Special Issue of Applied Sciences presents the latest developments in the fabrication and application of CNT-based transparent conductive films throughout the worldwide scientific community, identifies existing technology gaps, and suggests a path forward for large scale industrial applications.

Dr. Vittorio Scardaci
Guest Editor