Patterning carbon nanotubes with silane by scanning electrochemical microscopy

This work reports a novel approach of patterning carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). The concept is based on the localized cathodic current flux, which induces the pH increase on the conductive surface confined under the microelectrode. The latter facilitates the local deposition of silane sol-gel films, which embed the CNTs from the dispersion. The patterns can be tuned by deposition potential, time and scan rate of the microelectrode, as characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and profilometry.