Distribution of electric field for carbon nanotube assembly: Simulation (I)
(1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST),
Daejeon 305-701, Korea;
2. National Core Research Center for Hybrid Materials Solution,
Pusan National University, Busan 609-735, Korea)
Daejeon 305-701, Korea;
2. National Core Research Center for Hybrid Materials Solution,
Pusan National University, Busan 609-735, Korea)
Abstract: The distribution of electric field for the alignment and attachment of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was simulated. To be attached at the desired place, the aligned and attracted CNTs should be stayed in the desired area called the stable region or the quasi-stable region for an instant where the change of electric field is minimized. Since the conical electrode has the very narrow sized quasi-stable region, few CNTs can be attached. The rectangular electrodes have a wide stable region, so lots of CNTs can be attached. The results indicate that the round electrode which has a proper sized quasi-stable region is more effective for aligning and attaching a single CNT than the conical or rectangular shaped electrodes.
Key words: carbon nanotubes (CNTs); dielectrophoresis (DEP); round shaped electrode; simulation