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Optical Characterization Of Carbon Nanotube Forests, Brian D. Wood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Carbon nanotube forests are vertically grown tubular formations of graphene. Due to their inherent microstructure and geometry, they are ideal light absorbers over a broad spectrum, making this material an excellent absorber in applications such as radiometry, optical calibration, and stray light suppression. Samples were made with several growth conditions and substrates to provide forests of different morphologies. Optical data of these samples were gathered by taking spectroscopic reflectance and transmittance measurements in the mid-infrared spectral range. Results were correlated to the various forest morphologies. From this, the conditions necessary to maximize the absorption of the forests were found and …