High-speed high-sensitivity carbon nanotube-based composite bolometers

In this work films of horizontally aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes were thermally and electrically characterized in order to determine their bolometric performance. Studies were conducted on semiconducting carbon nanotubes, metallic carbon nanotubes, and a mixture. Results show that composite morphology along with carbon nanotube chirality play significant roles in bolometer performance, with cracked composite films having higher responsivity and TCR values but increased variability.