Explore the vast range of titles available.

Carbon nanotube thin-film transistors 1 are expected to enable the fabrication of high-performance 2 , flexible 3 and transparent 4 devices using relatively simple techniques. However, as-grown nanotube networks usually contain both metallic and semiconducting nanotubes, which leads to a trade-off between charge-carrier mobility (which increases with greater metallic tube content) and on/off ratio (which decreases) 5 . Many approaches to separating metallic nanotubes from semiconducting nanotubes have been investigated 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , but most lead to contamination and shortening of the nanotubes, thus reducing performance. Here, we report the fabrication of high-performance thin-film transistors and integrated circuits on flexible and transparent substrates using floating-catalyst chemical vapour deposition followed by a simple gas-phase filtration and transfer process. The resulting nanotube network has a well-controlled density and a unique morphology, consisting of long (~10 µm) nanotubes connected by low-resistance Y-shaped junctions. The transistors simultaneously demonstrate a mobility of 35 cm 2  V –1  s –1 and an on/off ratio of 6 × 10 6 . We also demonstrate flexible integrated circuits, including a 21-stage ring oscillator and master–slave delay flip-flops that are capable of sequential logic. Our fabrication procedure should prove to be scalable, for example, by using high-throughput printing techniques. Carbon nanotube transistors with high mobilities and high on/off ratios are demonstrated, along with flexible nanotube-based integrated circuits that are capable of sequential logic.

Electrically conductive thin‐film materials possessing high transparency are essential components for many optoelectronic devices. The advancement in the transparent conductor applications requires a replacement of indium tin oxide (ITO), one of the key materials in electronics. ITO and other transparent conductive metal oxides have several drawbacks, including poor flexibility, high refractive index and haze, limited chemical stability, and depleted raw material supply. Single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are a promising alternative for transparent conducting films (TCFs) because of their unique and excellent chemical and physical properties. Here, the latest achievements in the optoelectronic performance of TCFs based on SWCNTs are analyzed. Various approaches to evaluate the performance of transparent electrodes are briefly reviewed. A roadmap for further research and development of the transparent conductors using “rational design,” which breaks the deadlock for obtaining the TCFs with a performance close to the theoretical limit, is also described. The field of optoelectronics is in dire need of novel materials combining both high transparency and electrical conductivity. This review is dedicated to the most promising material for transparent conductors – single‐walled carbon nanotubes. The authors overview here outstanding achievements, introduce the universal indicator for comparison of all transparent conducors, and describe the roadmap for further development of the topic.

A variety of plastic products, ranging from those for daily necessities to electronics products and medical devices, are produced by moulding techniques. The incorporation of electronic circuits into various plastic products is limited by the brittle nature of silicon wafers. Here we report mouldable integrated circuits for the first time. The devices are composed entirely of carbon-based materials, that is, their active channels and passive elements are all fabricated from stretchable and thermostable assemblies of carbon nanotubes, with plastic polymer dielectric layers and substrates. The all-carbon thin-film transistors exhibit a mobility of 1,027 cm 2  V −1  s −1 and an ON/OFF ratio of 10 5 . The devices also exhibit extreme biaxial stretchability of up to 18% when subjected to thermopressure forming. We demonstrate functional integrated circuits that can be moulded into a three-dimensional dome. Such mouldable electronics open new possibilities by allowing for the addition of electronic/plastic-like functionalities to plastic/electronic products, improving their designability. The incorporation of electronic circuits into various plastic products and devices is limited by the brittle nature of silicon wafers. Here, Sun et al. demonstrate flexible and high-performance all-carbon-based transistor circuits that can be thermo-moulded into various shapes.

Dielectric waveguides are an emerging platform for terahertz (THz) integrated circuits, but a key challenge for dense integration is the realization of terminations that enable both multi-port device characterization and elimination of electromagnetic interference. Here, we demonstrate a compact, broadband termination by coating silicon waveguides with ultrathin single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) films. Fabricated via a floating-catalyst (aerosol) chemical vapor deposition process, film thicknesses vary from 2 to 53 nm and are characterized in 140-220 GHz. A 53 nm thick film introduces up to 47 dB of attenuation while maintaining over 20 dB reflection loss, confirming nearly reflection-free absorption. Shielding analysis shows absorption dominates over reflection, and a record specific shielding efficiency of 5.5 × 10 9 dB cm 2 g −1 is achieved. This approach offers a footprint-efficient solution for high-density THz circuits without bulky, radiative terminations. Nanometer-thin single-walled carbon nanotube films on silicon terahertz waveguides absorb surface waves with low reflection across 140–220 GHz, enabling ultracompact matched terminations and record shielding performance for terahertz circuits.

Controlling chirality in growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is important for exploiting their practical applications. For long it has been conceptually conceived that the structural control of SWNTs is potentially achievable by fabricating nanoparticle catalysts with proper structures on crystalline substrates via epitaxial growth techniques. Here, we have accomplished epitaxial formation of monometallic Co nanoparticles with well-defined crystal structure and its use as a catalyst in the selective growth of SWNTs. Dynamics of Co nanoparticles formation and SWNT growth inside an atomic-resolution environmental transmission electron microscope at a low CO pressure was recorded. We achieved highly preferential growth of semiconducting SWNTs (~90%) with an exceptionally large population of (6, 5) tubes (53%) in an ambient CO atmosphere. Particularly, we also demonstrated high enrichment in (7, 6) and (9, 4) at a low growth temperature. These findings open new perspectives both for structural control of SWNTs and for elucidating the growth mechanisms.

3D printing using fused composite filament fabrication technique (FFF) allows prototyping and manufacturing of durable, lightweight, and customizable parts on demand. Such composites demonstrate significantly improved printability, due to the reduction of shrinkage and warping, alongside the enhancement of strength and rigidity. In this work, we use polypropylene filament reinforced by short glass fibers to demonstrate the effect of fiber orientation on mechanical tensile properties of the 3D printed specimens. The influence of the printed layer thickness and raster angle on final fiber orientations was investigated using X-ray micro-computed tomography. The best ultimate tensile strength of 57.4 MPa and elasticity modulus of 5.5 GPa were obtained with a 90° raster angle, versus 30.4 MPa and 2.5 GPa for samples with a criss-cross 45°, 135° raster angle, with the thinnest printed layer thickness of 0.1 mm.

Donor-acceptor conjugated polymers are considered advanced semiconductor materials for the development of thin-film electronics. One of the most attractive families of polymeric semiconductors in terms of photovoltaic applications are benzodithiophene-based polymers owing to their highly tunable electronic and physicochemical properties, and readily scalable production. In this work, we report the synthesis of three novel push–pull benzodithiophene-based polymers with different side chains and their investigation as hole transport materials (HTM) in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). It is shown that polymer P3 that contains triisopropylsilyl side groups exhibits better film-forming ability that, along with high hole mobilities, results in increased characteristics of PSCs. Encouraging a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.4% was achieved for P3-based PSCs that outperformed the efficiency of devices based on P1, P2, and benchmark PTAA polymer. These findings feature the great potential of benzodithiophene-based conjugated polymers as dopant-free HTMs for the fabrication of efficient perovskite solar cells.

Mid‐infrared (IR) fiber lasers are crucial for applications in spectroscopy, medical diagnostics, and environmental sensing, owing to their ability to interact with fundamental molecular vibrational bands. However, achieving stable ultrafast pulse generation in this spectral range remains challenging due to the limited availability of robust saturable absorbers. For the first time, we demonstrate Q‐switched mode‐locking in an all‐fiber Er‐doped ZrF4‐BaF2‐LaF3‐AlF3‐NaF laser employing an aerosol‐synthesized carbon nanotube (CNT) film. Furthermore, we compare the laser performance with pulse generation using a state‐of‐the‐art GaSb‐based semiconductor‐saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) in an identical cavity design. The CNT‐saturable absorber enables pulse generation with a minimum duration of 1.32 μs and a pulse energy of 1.4 μJ at an average output power of 63.1 mW. In contrast, the SESAM‐based laser produces 345‐ns pulses with a pulse energy reaching 3.84 μJ and an average power of 202 mW. These results provide new insights into the interplay between saturable absorber properties and mid‐IR fiber laser performance, paving the way for next‐generation compact ultrafast sources for scientific and industrial applications. We compare Q‐switched mode‐locking in Er‐doped ZrF4‐BaF2‐LaF3‐AlF3‐NaF fiber lasers using an aerosol‐synthesized carbon nanotube (CNT)‐saturable absorber with a GaSb‐based semiconductor‐saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). While SESAM enables shorter pulses with higher peak power, CNT absorbers offer tunability and cost‐effectiveness. These findings advance mid‐infrared ultrafast laser development, paving the way for compact, high‐power sources for sensing, medical, and industrial applications.

The interaction of light with solids can be dramatically enhanced owing to electron‐photon momentum matching. This mechanism manifests when light scattering from nanometer‐sized clusters including a specific case of self‐assembled nanostructures that form a long‐range translational order but local disorder (crystal‐liquid duality). In this paper, a new strategy based on both cases for the light‐matter‐interaction enhancement in a direct bandgap semiconductor – lead halide perovskite CsPbBr3 – by using electric pulse‐driven structural disorder, is addressed. The disordered state allows the generation of confined photons, and the formation of an electronic continuum of static/dynamic defect states across the forbidden gap (Urbach bridge). Both mechanisms underlie photon‐momentum‐enabled electronic Raman scattering (ERS) and single‐photon anti‐Stokes photoluminescence (PL) under sub‐band pump. PL/ERS blinking is discussed to be associated with thermal fluctuations of cross‐linked [PbBr6]4‐ octahedra. Time‐delayed synchronization of PL/ERS blinking causes enhanced spontaneous emission at room temperature. These findings indicate the role of photon momentum in enhanced light‐matter interactions in disordered and nanostructured solids. Light scattering from a perovskite semiconductor can be enhanced due to structural disorder leading to delocalization of optical near‐field and electron‐photon momentum matching. Electronic Raman scattering serves as an alternative mechanism for detrapping charge‐carriers from mid‐gap states into the conduction band. This mechanism explains Raman/photoluminescence blinking, near‐field photon reabsorption and the anti‐Stokes photoluminescence shift by 411 meV under sub‐band pump.

Novel bio-materials, like chitosan and its derivatives, appeal to finding a new niche in room temperature gas sensors, demonstrating not only a chemoresistive response, but also changes in mechanical impedance due to vapor adsorption. We determined the coefficients of elasticity and viscosity of chitosan acetate films in air, ammonia, and water vapors by acoustic spectroscopy. The measurements were carried out while using a resonator with a longitudinal electric field at the different concentrations of ammonia (100–1600 ppm) and air humidity (20–60%). It was established that, in the presence of ammonia, the longitudinal and shear elastic modules significantly decreased, whereas, in water vapor, they changed slightly. At that, the viscosity of the films increased greatly upon exposure to both vapors. We found that the film’s conductivity increased by two and one orders of magnitude, respectively, in ammonia and water vapors. The effect of analyzed vapors on the resonance properties of a piezoelectric resonator with a lateral electric field that was loaded by a chitosan film on its free side was also experimentally studied. In these vapors, the parallel resonance frequency and maximum value of the real part of the electrical impedance decreased, especially in ammonia. The results of a theoretical analysis of the resonance properties of such a sensor in the presence of vapors turned out to be in a good agreement with the experimental data. It has been also found that with a growth in the concentration of the studied vapors, a decrease in the elastic constants, and an increase in the viscosity factor and conductivity lead to reducing the parallel resonance frequency and the maximum value of the real part of the electric impedance of the piezoelectric resonator with a lateral electric field that was loaded with a chitosan film. This leads to an increase in the sensitivity of such a sensor during exposure to these gas vapors.