Directed Assembly of Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes have outstanding electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. Their exceptional transport properties make them especially well suited for electronic applications. Although they are much heralded for their promise, technological implementation has remained elusive. The key bottleneck is the lack of fabrication tools suited for these materials, as conventional top-down fabrication tools do not work with nanomaterials. This chapter focuses on the development of bottom-up assembly tools that use electrostatic and/or chemical forces to assemble the materials into the necessary structures.