Theoretical predictions for carbon nanotube alignment by meniscus action

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are rolled cylinders of monolayer graphene with high electron mobilities and a potentially large bandgap. Therefore, their operation speeds and current on/off ratios make them promising for next generation field-effect transistor devices. Making SWNTs a potential wafer-scale nanotechnology requires control of their chirality, density, placement, and alignment on a relevant substrate. This work investigates how mechanical alignment by meniscus action can align SWNTs suspended in solution, allowing them to be deposited on a substrate in a top-down fashion. Also, we show some early experimental results.