The magnified image of the squared region in Figure 2b is also demonstrated in Figure 2c, and the multiwalled structures

of CNTs at the joints twist and some amorphous structures adhering to the surface are observed. While the compression temperature increases to 400°C, the CNTs are twined into a continuous film which is consistent with the observation in SEM analysis, as exhibited in Figure 2d. Figure 1 SEM images of the morphological variations for the as-sprayed and thermally compressed CNTFs. SEM images of (a) as-sprayed CNTF (b) Selleckchem GSK2245840 under the compression force of 100 N at 200°C for 50 min and (c) under the compression force of 100 N at 400°C for 50 min. Figure 2 TEM images of the as-sprayed and thermally compressed CNTs. The high-resolution images of (a) the as-sprayed CNTs and (b) the CNTs after the thermal compression with the compression force of 100 N at 200°C for 50 min. (c) The magnified image of the squared region in (b) and (d) the CNTF after the thermal compression with the compression force of 100 N at 400°C for 50 min. The main features buy Linsitinib of CNTFs in the Raman spectra are the disorder-induced D peak at Raman shift of 1,350 cm-1, and the other one is the G peak at Raman shift of 1,580 cm-1 corresponding to the covalent sp2 bonds of graphite structures, as exhibited in Figure 3. To understand the crystallinity of CNT in the CNTF after the thermal compression, the intensity

ratios of D peak to G peak, I D/I G, are extracted from Figure 3. Then, the ratios of I D/I G are about 1.79, 1.72, and 1.65 for the as-prayed CNTF and those compressed at 200°C

and 400°C, accordingly. Such a high ratio of I D/I G for the as-sprayed CNTF represents the existence of defects induced by the acid treatment. Dichloromethane dehalogenase After the thermal compression at 200°C and 400°C, the ratio of I D/I G slightly decreases, which may be attributed to the thermal annealing, and some defects on the CNTs are repaired during the compression. Furthermore, a minor band at around 1,610 cm-1 assigned as the D′ band is evidently observed for the as-sprayed CNTF. This band is responsible for the existence of functional groups on the CNTs after the acid treatment [14], which the CNT is treated with a mixture of concentrated H2SO4 and HNO3 in our case. However, the intensity of the D′ band decreases for the CNTF compressed at 200°C, and this band even disappears while the CNTF is compressed at 400°C. The sheet resistance PD0332991 cost versus the compression temperature for the 110-nm-thick and 230-nm-thick CNTFs with the compression force of 100 N for 50 min is shown in Figure 4, accordingly. It is evident that the sheet resistance decreases with the increasing of the compression temperature for these two thicknesses of CNTFs. For example, the sheet resistance decreases from 17 to 0.9 k Ω/sq as the compression temperature increases from 25°C to 400°C for the 230-nm-thick CNTFs.