An optically-driven platform for manipulation of carbon nanotubes

The current study unveils an optically-driven platform for efficient manipulation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Capable of generating a non-uniform electric field at movable and changeable illuminated sites, a photoconductive layer is used to optically induce dielectrophoresis forces for manipulating CNTs. It is the platform's ability to flexibly adapt the optically-projected electrode patterns that enables a variety of manipulation throughputs. This approach can achieve a number of real-time manipulation and patterning results based on CNTs. The developed method may have potential to be applied on patterning of CNTs-based nano-sensors together with nano-electronics. Moreover, purification and classification of synthesized CNTs along with other applications requiring nano-scale manipulation may benefit from this technique as well.