Super-aligned carbon nanotube films as aligning layers and transparent electrodes for liquid crystal displays

Super-aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) film is a transparent conductive film composed of numerous parallel CNTs connected to each other by the van der Waals force. We have found that such films, attached to glass, can readily align liquid crystal molecules. A prototype liquid crystal display (LCD) using the film as the aligning layer has been fabricated. The on–off ratio of the as-prepared display cell is 85 when 24 V is the applied voltage. Because of its high transparency, the film can simultaneously be used as a transparent electrode material, in place of expensive indium tin oxide. The resistance of the film makes it a suitable built-in heating layer, extending the working temperature range of LCDs.